


The Alliance of a STRQ Contrast

by Firekitten



Category: RWBY
Genre: Multi, Yet another Team STRQ story at Beacon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-08-07 08:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 33,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16405073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firekitten/pseuds/Firekitten
Summary: In joining Beacon Academy, Taiyang hopes to find his future. What he finds instead is so much more priceless.He finds a family.-It was supposed to be simple. Become a student at Beacon, gain strength, return with honor.Raven wasn’t supposed to gain love instead.-What’s in a name? A rose by any other would smell just as sweet.But Summer Rose was more than a name; she was irreplaceable.-When a bird gets separated from its flock, it cries for them until it can find its way again.When Qrow is separated from his tribe, he does not cry. He finds his own way home.





	1. Act One, Year One: To Understand, First You Must Listen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it’s finally time to give you all I project I’ve been working on for quite some time now; since February actually! 
> 
> Like every other good Team STRQ fan, I wanted to try my own hand at a “time at Beacon” tale. It certainly won’t be a day-to-day storyline, I neither have the versatility or capability of something that large and there are plenty of other authors who are doing it much better.
> 
> Rather this is collection of key events, showing the highlights of the team’s crucial moments with one another that ends up binding them as a team and a family and how that redefines itself with time.
> 
> I wanted to wait until I was fully completed with it before posting it up, but with Volume 6 ready to swoop in and probably destroy a lot of these headcanons, I figured now might be the best time to release this one. 
> 
> The story will be split up into 3 Acts, with a short interlude between Acts 2 and 3 – but some chapters may be cut into more manageable pieces, depending on what my beta reader says. As for point of view, Taiyang will be taking the first few, but Raven, Summer and Qrow will all have their spotlights later on.
> 
> Admittedly I’m a little nervous… but I hope you all enjoy!

The first time Taiyang saw Raven Branwen in the light of day, he fell in love.

Or at least, that’s how he often liked to tell it, as he had actually tripped over a broken piece of concrete and fell flat on his face – and it made for a better story if he stretched the truth a little bit.

“How charming.” Were the first words she’d ever said to him, giving him a dismissive glance that felt like it struck straight into his soul, before turning her attention to his would-be partner. “You’re the last to arrive. Not that that’s unusual for you.”

“Hey,” Qrow protested, “I was making good time until this guy showed up.”

“Oh yeah, blame it on me.” Tai grumbled as he picked himself up, brushing off his clothes. “I wasn’t the one who led us right into a trap.”

“We were fine.”

“The arrows were on fire, Qrow.”

“Eh, we made it, didn’t we?”

He shot the other as harsh a glare as he could that was only met with cold indifference. This was already gearing up to be a spectacular partnership.

“Um. I believe this one is yours then.” The quiet voice drew their attention to the fourth among them, the white-hooded girl pointing to the key on the pedestal. It was one of the relics that Ozpin had advised them they were to collect.

One look at Qrow told him who between them was expected to go fetch it, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he crossed over, picking up the brass key. The bow of it was in the shape of a long, oval-shaped leaf. He rolled it around his fingers, before glancing at the girl. “You were on the airship coming in with me. Summer, right?”

She nodded, her smile muted. “And you’re Taiyang. People were talking about you.” Her voice was as seemingly meek as she was. It was strange to see her applying for a bold job such as being a huntress. She looked over her shoulder, towards the twins who were across the platform, whispering to one another. “Not as much as those two though.”

He hummed in agreement. “Yeah, I hear they’re pretty weird.”

It was nearly all anyone was talking about last night. Who was who and from where, what marks did they get, how they fought. The twins though were a total mystery and that only seemed to increase the interest about them. Despite having students from nearly every school across Remnant, no one knew where they came from or what school they had graduated from. Natural curiosity spurned rumors and by the next morning, he’d heard pretty much everything one could come up with – the most ridiculous being that they were aliens from outer space trying to take over the school.

(He came up with that one.)

“It’s sad.”

“Huh?”

“They’ve only been here a day and everyone wants to make up stories about who they are rather then get to know them.” Summer looked up at him. It was the first time he could see her entire face, but it was her eyes that struck him most. Silver, like the razor-sharp blade of a dagger. And they seemed to strike him through, accusing him. “Don’t you think?”

“Uh.” He swallowed down sudden guilt. “Yeah.”

And that was the first and last time he ever underestimated the power of Summer Rose.

* * *

He was on a mission.

Tai would like to say it was one of great peril; that he was being surrounded by a horde of snarling Grimm, alone – no! No, protecting his entire team that had been left weakened and defenseless, counting on him to finish them off. Unafraid as he snarled the fear right back at the Grimm’s faces before he bashed in their mighty teeth and saved the day.

But he wasn’t.

Instead, he had spent the better part of an hour scouring the entire campus for Qrow on what Summer deemed as ‘Mission: Communicate, but Don’t Agitate’.

“We’re not going to make this team work if we’re not getting along. So, as you are one half of the part that is not getting along, I am now ordering you to fix it.  _Today_.” She had given him a motivating smile – meaning it was a falsely innocent looking one, hidden behind a guarantee that the next few years would be nothing but pain if he didn’t come through. “Got it?”

He wasn’t really sure how fair it was that he was the one tasked with this when it was Qrow who was avoiding them like the Black Grimm Plague. Despite having been a team for three months, the jerk never joined them for meals and he was almost never in their shared quarters. If it weren’t for classes, he wouldn’t see him at all. Tai had only had a handful of conversations with his would-be teammate – most of them ending antagonistically. Qrow seemed the type who’d always pick a fight with whomever pissed him off.  It wasn’t _his_ fault that he somehow ended up on that list.

Raven had told them to just leave it be; but unsurprisingly, Summer wouldn’t stand for that.

(Never mind that she whispered the plan to him as if certain the wrath of the slightly murderous-looking Branwen twin might come upon her if she overheard.)

He pushed open the doors to the library, scanning the tables as he slowly walked down the main aisle. He noticed, while there were a few people studying, most tables were cluttered with Remnant: The Game. He hadn’t played it yet, but he knew the new boardgame was designed specifically to appeal to those in the huntsmen schools, seeing as it was conveniently designed to have exactly four players.

“I place down Ice Storm! It’ll stop your army right in its tracks.”

“Ah, come on!”

Distracted as he walked by, Tai almost missed him – but he caught the flash of red in the corner of his eye that made him look around, starting in surprise when he realized Qrow was wandering between the rows. He quickly shuffled his way between the tables, hurrying after him. By the time he had caught up, Qrow had dropped the book on a table already cluttered with quite a few and had just settled down in front of it.

“Huh. So you do read.”

The other teenager tensed some, but relaxed just as quickly when he looked up at him. “Oh, it’s just you. If you’re looking for the raunchy stuff, sorry to tell ya it’s a pretty prude culture in here.”

“No,” Tai said, mustering his patience. “I was looking for you.”

“To do raunchy stuff with? Gee, at least take me out on a date first!”

He forced himself to take a deep breath. _Don’t agitate, don’t agitate…_ He pulled out the chair opposite him, taking a seat. “Look, I think we got off on a bad start.”

“I’m surprised you had the brain capacity for that one.” Qrow quipped, tone bored as he flipped through some pages. “Except I know you don’t because little flowerbud put you up to this, didn’t she?” When Tai opened his mouth to – well he wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to say so maybe it was a good thing the other cut him off before he could. “So, since those blonde roots of yours definitely go all the way down, let me say this very simply: I don’t want to be part of this team.”

He was, admittedly, a little surprised when that stung. “What? _Why_?”

He shrugged. “It ain’t my thing. Or Raven’s. So, you and Summer can get all buddy-buddy if you want, but keep the two of us out of it, alright?”

Briefly, he worried about how Summer was doing on her own self-appointed mission of ‘No Homicide; Socialize!’, but quickly brushed it aside to focus back on the man across from him. “But Qrow-”

He paused when a prickly feeling ran across his senses and threw him into high alert. Acting quickly, he jumped up onto the chair and twisted around, planting one foot up on the back of it as he reached up, catching the edge of the fifth shelf just as it started to come down. The books shifted, some of them teetering close to the edge of the shelf, but none falling. “Well, that’s one concussion avoided.” He joked to himself, glancing over his shoulder. Qrow was just staring at him, eyes wide. “Um… little help?”

That snapped him from whatever trance he was in and he hurried around the table. Tai handed him down the books, which were then piled onto the table until the shelf was empty. He pulled the shelf down next, balancing it on his shoulder so he could inspect the wood, rubbing his thumb across the hole the shelf pin had been in and found it badly cracked. How unfortunate.

“How…” Qrow was staring at him like he wasn’t sure what to make of him all of a sudden. “How’d you know it was going to fall?”

“Huh? Oh.” Tai hopped down from the chair, leaning the shelf against the bookcase. “My semblance. It’s, uh-” He struggled, realizing he’d never had to put it into words before. “Well, I guess it’s like a form of hyper awareness. I can feel the things that are going to happen around me and respond to it – sometimes my body does it before my brain’s even processed it. So, like that shelf.” He tilted his head upwards. “I sensed it was going to fall, so I acted accordingly.”

“That’s how you avoided all the traps in the maze.”

He nodded. “It’s not foolproof or anything. The range of how far I can sense is very limited and some things just can’t be avoided. Still, definitely helped me avoid my fair share of scrapes.” One look at his partner told him he was still trying to absorb that information, though he couldn’t quite fathom why it was so amazing. They knew Glynda Goodwitch for Maidens’ sake. “Anyways uh, about our utter lack of teamwork-”

“You have a passive semblance too.” Oookay, never mind then.

 “Uh, yeah?” Tai lent back some when Qrow angled him with an impressively intense stare. Alright, this was getting a little weird. “Are you, okay?”

In answer, he pointed upwards. “My semblance did that.”

He looked at the empty space where the shelf had once been. Where a crack in the hardwood had caused it to collapse. He looked back at Qrow who, back in the maze, had led them into no less than six traps, all of which he had evaded. Qrow, who was avoiding them, as if he couldn’t stand to be in the same room as them-

Oh.

His own eyes widened. “You know,” He said, still a bit stunned, “If you had just said something, you could have been sleeping in your own bed three months ago.”

“If teamwork isn’t a strong point of mine, how in all of Remnant do you expect my communication to be any better?”

“Fair point.” He conceded, and without any real reason the two of them started to laugh. Three months and finally, _finally_ , they had connected.

Once the chuckles subsided, Qrow waved a hand to the books. “I was actually hoping to find something on it here. Maybe some way to… deal with it.”

“Can I help?” He blurted out, not really thinking about it.

Surprisingly, it was met with no resistance. “Sure.” Tai smiled turning to take his seat again.

Without missing a beat, his hand shot up, catching the right hook aimed for his chin. His eyes shifted, staring down the other huntsman. “ _Really_?”

“Just checking.” Qrow grinned. Cheeky bastard.

* * *

“Alright, Team STRQ! We’ve all had a rocky start. But now, it’s time for us to get serious!” Summer proclaimed as she stood before the three of them. “Starting today, this will be our training grounds!”

She waved out her arms to encompass the grass field she had led them five miles west to. There was a sparse knot of oak trees here and there, but for the most part the plains were clear as far as the eye could see. The only thing out of place that seemed to even make the area stand out was the freshly felled tree turned into a log and the leftover stump that had a ring of blackened bark as if whatever had sliced through it had been aflame.

To the left of their “training grounds”, the massive structure of Beacon Academy could be seen in the distance. Behind them, the faint line of blue indicated the cliffside where it dropped into a massive bay and the faint roar of the tides could be heard even from here. Much further west, where the trees grew thicker and the area seemed cast in shadows, was the beginning of the Emerald Forest.

“This isn’t exactly the surprise I was hoping for.” Qrow grumbled. He wasn’t so much sitting as he was sprawled out on the grass, lounging back against the log with his arms spread out behind him.

Raven was standing a few feet away, her arms crossed and the heel of one of her boots balancing on the edge of the stump. “It’s also a waste of time. We’re not a bunch of sniveling kids, you know.”

Between them from where he sat on the log, Tai rubbed the back of his neck, saying nothing but the expression on his face clearly implying he agreed with both of them.

“I thought you would all act like this!” Summer said, placing a hand on her hip. “So, if you all think you’re so great, then I guess you won’t have any problems taking me on, right?”

The shock he felt seemed to be mirrored in the twins. It was the younger who said, “You can’t be serious flowerbud. Three on one? We’ll destroy you.”

“Then I guess you have nothing to worry about, now do you?” Her grin was confident. “If you can get me on the ground, I lose and I’ll drop the idea of team training entirely. But if you hit the ground, it’s game over for you until all of you are out and you have to hear me out. Sound good?”

They shared a few looks between each other, before Raven placed a hand on her sword, taking a few steps forward. “Fine, I’m game.” After a moment, Tai and Qrow also got to their feet. The twins walked a few paces in opposite directions, spreading out while he stood right in direct line, crouching into a defensive stance. He stretched his fingers some, hearing the click of the metal knuckles on the inside of his glove activating the dust discs within. In the corners of his vision, he could see both Qrow and Raven drawing their swords.

“Alright,” Summer started, hands falling to her hips where her weapons were. “Let’s go!”

Starlit Brier hit the ground with twin, cracking snaps, and instantly the world was nothing but fog as ice and fire dust collided. Tai jumped backwards, out of range of the thick of it, guard up as he prepared for the possibility of his leader’s advance.

But when he saw a shadow running right, he knew it wasn’t him she was after. It was –

“ARGH!” Qrow gave a yell as he threw his weapon upwards to block the attack from the thorned whip as it came swinging for his head. The gears in his sword that were trying to turn Harbinger into its scythe form suddenly came apart as one of the thorns lodged itself right between them. “What?!” The man cried as metal cogs and bits littered the ground.

“Whoops!” She struck for him again, teasing him all the while as he jumped back. “Hope you can fight like that!” 

Tai was quick to charge across the field, trying to round behind her. He was, admittedly, at the largest disadvantage with Summer’s weapons being so long-ranged that even his semblance couldn’t compensate. Equally dangerous were the dust canisters that rested in the handles of the whips that she could revolve at will, which would fill the thorns for an elemental strike. In a one-on-one match, he actually didn’t think he could beat her.

But, he wasn’t alone, and that gave him a window of opportunity to strike when her focus was elsewhere. And as he came at her back, rearing up for a solid strike to her sternum, he knew he’d have to take every single one of them if he wanted to be useful.

Except his fist went through air, two small explosions of fire dust making him stumble back as Summer snapped her whips downward, using the energy to vault herself up into the air. He blinked away the ash and smoke, seeing the lithe form up in the air twisting around, smiling down at him as she swung downwards. He jumped backwards, only to realize his mistake too late when he felt the presence behind him and slammed into Raven.

“Watch it!”

“Sorry!” He called, catching her shoulder as the two of them tried to find their balance – only to feel the freezing sensation around their ankles as the end of Starlit swept over their feet. Summer winked and gave them a two-fingered salute before she disappeared into the mist, no doubt searching for Qrow.

“Ugh!” Raven snarled as she redrew Bloodlust into its flame form. One slice between their feet and the ice melted instantly. She whirled on him, glaring him down. “Stay out of my way, got it?” And then she was gone, also running into the fog.

He rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath, “Go team.” He could hear the sounds of shouts and clangs, even the crackle of electricity as Summer fended off either one or both of the twins.  He looked around, trying to see something before sighing, lifting up his right fist. “Alright, done with this.” He vaulted upwards several feet, before he came swinging down, slamming his fist into the grass. A powerful burst of warm, red energy swept out, instantly clearing up the fog.

When he straightened, it was just in time to see Summer twisting around one of Qrow’s strikes with as much grace as a dancer. Her whip came down around his wrist and as she came out of the twist, used her momentum and _threw_ the taller man right into his oncoming sister. Raven pushed him back by his shoulder, the twins sharing a glare.

Summer was slowly circling them, eyes flickering to catch his as well when he started to pace forward. “Did I ever tell you guys what _my_ semblance was?” That caught all their attention, all of them watching her carefully as she stopped walking. “I call it Wind Blossom. You see, it’s not much. Just the ability to make a little breeze.” A flutter of leaves came up, twisting gently around her. As they fell though, she turned to look at them, grinning, “However, when combined with dust…”

**_Oh no._ **

 She rose her whip, the thorns glowing red. “The results can get a little… explosive.”

Tai bent his legs forward, the muscles straining as he jumped backwards. From the vantage point, he could see the twins running in opposite directions right before Summer swung out her whip. A wave of fire and heat blasted over the field. He quickly crossed his arms in front of his face as it billowed towards him. His aura protected him from the burns, but not the brunt force which flung him. He flipped through the air as gravity brought him down, the balls of his feet ripping through earth as he landed, sliding several feet.

Raven was nowhere in sight. Qrow was crouched in front of his blade like it were a shield, the ground several meters in front of him ripped apart. Tai could see Summer rushing for him again, so darted forward as well, intercepting her and her swinging whip. He rose his arm, feeling leather wrapping around it. The thorns dug in but couldn’t pierce his aura as he grabbed hold, about to rip it right out of her grasp.

He sensed it too late and though he tried to jerk his leg back, tied up as he was, he didn’t have the leeway to do so quickly enough. The second whip got his ankles, thorns shimmering a light blue. He realized, from the satisfied look on her face, that he had walked right into her trap. She yanked him forward, the ice under his feet easily pulling him down.

He breathlessly blinked up at the blue sky, noticing the constriction on his ankles was gone as a shadow passed over him, Qrow sprinting past and throwing all his weight into his swings as he came at Summer full force. He didn’t have the finesse his sister did though, and Summer quickly took advantage of that as her weapon wrapped around the blade.

A millisecond too late, Qrow realized the thorns were yellow. “Shi-” His curse cut out with a shout as he was shocked, the paralyzing effect bringing him to the ground next.

Without pausing, Summer was spinning around, a shattering sound echoing the field as her weapon ripped apart Bloodlust’s dust blade. Raven hopped back, bringing her hilt back to the sheath. The two girls eyed each other warily. Things were about to get very nasty.

“Okay, hold up.” Tai called, making both of them pause though they didn’t turn away from one another. He sat up, unwinding the whip from his arm and letting it fall in the grass. He crossed over to where his partner still lay, throwing the man’s arm over his shoulder as he helped him to his feet, Harbinger dragging behind them as Qrow kept hold of it. Once they were, hopefully, well out of range, he called, “Alright, have fun killing each other.”

They both struck forward and the world exploded into motion and dust.

Now on the sidelines, it was easy to appreciate just how talented both the women were. They’d been in the training ring a few times, but the matches never tended to last long enough because both of their skills far exceeded the grand majority of the other freshmen. (And most people didn’t even want to get in the ring with Raven. Summer would say it was because she looked too murder-y.)

Here though, free to go all out, the two threw all that they had at each other. It was like watching two opposites try to best the other. Raven was like a pure force of power, rushing the field with purpose, sword swinging with such speed it was just blurs of color. On the other hand, Summer was evasive and cunning, keeping her distance and using dust mixtures to keep the other back when she managed to nearly overtake her.

“I get Raven, but should we be worried Summer’s enjoying this so much?” Qrow asked, shaking off the aftereffects of the shock.

Watching them dance across the field, blade after blade breaking, swipe after swipe missing, the two of them jeering or laughing all the while as they played a dangerous game and _relished_ every second of it, Tai could only shake his head and smile.

It all ended minutes later when a fire-dusted blade clashed with an electric whip, the chain reaction instant as the heat overcharged and exploded. Both girls gave a yelp as they were thrown off their feet, skidding along the earth before coming to rest several feet away from one another. Neither made a move to get up, both of them just lying there and panting. After a bit, Summer rolled onto her side, grinning towards her partner. “Good shot.”

Had he not been looking her way, he would have entirely missed the little smile Raven shot back.

Glancing at his own partner, they both stood and crossed over the field, helping the girls to their feet. “Gotta say, that was a good show.” Qrow praised, using his sister’s shoulder as an armrest, much to her chagrin. “I think I also speak for us all when I say you also drove your point home flowerbud.”

“I sure hope so.” Her eyes swept over each of them. “I didn’t ask us to train to insult you. I think you’re all amazing fighters in your own right, but I also know each of you, and even myself, have a lot of potential to become even greater.” She glanced back towards the towering building, saying, “We’re here at Beacon to learn all we need to know so that when we graduate from here, we’re gonna be able to handle whatever the world throws at us.” Though she appeared calm and collected as she faced them once more, he was close enough to her to see the way her hands shook behind her back. “I know we haven’t really been a team for long and maybe it seems silly I’m taking it so seriously but… as your leader, I feel like it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re all ready.”

When no objections rose, Tai placed a hand on her shoulder. “Alright, then tell us where to start.”

* * *

Misty clouds fluttered in front of his face with every breath as he trailed behind the girls, following their footsteps with care. He glanced over his shoulder where Qrow was hanging further back and eyeing the icicles dangling from some of the branches with trepidation. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, about to tell the other that he was pretty sure their auras could handle a little ding from some falling ice – when Summer groaned loudly.

“This is boring!” Abruptly, she flopped over, spreading out along the snow. “We’ve been walking for hours.”

Raven, who was leading, turned and placed her hands on her hips. “It’s been thirty minutes. And this was your idea.”

“Yeah but, you didn’t tell me it would be so boring!” She whined. “I was trying to make things more fun not more dull!”

“We’re hunting for food. It’s not exactly a thrill-seeking adventure.”

Turning her head away, Summer pouted, grumbling, “Would rather be hunting Grimm.”

There was an annoyed huff from the other, but Tai was quick to intervene before the two could really start arguing, stepping over and offering Summer a hand. “Maybe we should just finish the mission as normal?”

She took it, though reluctantly. “This wasn’t really the mission I was expecting.”

He smiled to her placatingly, though he couldn’t help but agree. They had chosen ‘Survival in the Atlas Alps’ because it was one of the few on the list that didn’t require to be overshadowed by a senior or professor. But when they arrived, eagerly awaiting to be set free into the icy wilderness with nothing but their skill and their wits to keep them alive, and instead being shown a well-worn and well-marked trail that lead up to a cabin on the hillside, they were disappointed to say the least. To add insult to injury, they didn’t even have the hope of running into Grimm, the trail guide who saw them off proudly telling them that Atlesian soldiers had already cleared them out for miles prior to their arrival.

“We’re freshman. I guess we couldn’t have expected too much.” Tai said.

“I know but – Eep!” Summer flinched when his arm suddenly jerked up to shield her face, a small explosion of snow hitting his forearm and dusting across her hair.

He shot a glare to the cackling twin. “Qrow!”

Finally catching up to what happened, Summer ducked under his arm, asking in a measured tone, “Did you just try to nail me with a snowball?”

“That about sums it up, yeah.”

“Well then, I hope you know,” _Snap!_ A whip wrapped around a branch of the tree above him. “THIS MEANS WAR!”

She yanked down sharply and a mound of snow fell onto Qrow, neat little piles being left on his shoulders and head while the rest tumbled around his feet. He shook it off, and yelled back, “BRING IT ON!” With a war cry, she went charging for him, bowling him over with a rough tackle. Tai watched them yell and wrestle with each other, snow flurries kicking up as Summer pinned Qrow and tried to stuff as much of the icy cold down his shirt as she could manage, much to the other’s alarmed shouts.

“Are they seventeen or seven?” Raven grumbled as she came to stand a few feet from him, regarding them sourly as Summer squealed when Qrow managed to get a snowball in her hood and throw it up over her head.

He waved a hand towards them. “Do you want to join them?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” She looked away, frowning tightly. And though she was playing it off like she thought the entire idea was just silly nonsense, to Tai it looked like she felt like it was _impossible_. As if allowing herself a simple pleasure would break her in a way she couldn’t come back from.

Admittedly, he didn’t know her well. Even after three semesters, they hadn’t shared much of a conversation that didn’t either relate to school, fighting or both. And while he knew he could trust her in a heartbeat on the field as his teammate, anywhere else she still felt more like a stranger than a friend. He could gather, with the way she and her brother acted at times, that they had grown up similar to how he had; in a situation where youth was much too short and a luxury was having dinner on the table at night. But whereas Qrow was finding solace in bonding with him and Summer, Raven seemed inclined to reject them as hard as she possibly could.

She was just so stubborn and reserved, keeping those around her at a distance and hiding most of her emotions behind a tough front. She hardly ever talked about things that interested her or what things that she liked and when they were at the dorm, she seemed to prefer to just retreat to her side of the room, quietly cleaning her blade or studying alone. Summer would try to entice her, and Qrow, if just fed up with asking, would plop right down on her bed and demand her attention. It never worked and he couldn’t grasp why they kept trying, especially when afterwards, Tai caught the heated looks she would send them when they shuffled through a game of cards or yelled over each other’s shoulders as one of them failed miserably while playing the newest platformer on Summer’s Brickboy.

It wasn’t until that moment though that he understood it wasn’t annoyance she was feeling, but jealousy. And maybe, just maybe, some of that was his own fault for never inviting her like his teammates did.

Man, what an idiot he was.

An idea, a crazy one, struck him at that second and though he knew it could result in him becoming Bloodlust’s new sword sheath, in a fit of total idiocy, he took a risk. “You know what, Raven? You should be like this tree,” As she looked at him, he kicked back at the trunk of the tree behind him. “And lighten up!”

He briefly had a chance to see her eyes widen before he jumped away and, unlike the little mound that had fallen on her brother, an _avalanche_ of snow tumbled off the branches, burying her.

Qrow and Summer had frozen, both of them staring with wide eyes, seeing nothing of their former teammate except the stubborn little black cowlick poking out at the top of the pile. It was the former who lost it first, an uproar of laughter coming from him, though Summer and Tai were quick to join him. They couldn’t stop, even as flurries flew everywhere when Raven burst from the snow, her cheeks rosy red with how livid she was.

At least, that’s how she tried to appear to be, but Tai gathered she was just a little embarrassed.

Her eyes flickered to each of them in turn, her hand on her weapon’s hilt. “That’s it. You’re all dead.”

“Run!” Summer yelled, voice high with delight, and together they rushed through the woods, Raven hot on their tails. They all ducked their heads when the woman took to the trees, slicing her fire blade over the branches, causing a rainfall of liquid ice water to pelt them from above. Shaking it off, their leader pointed to the branches above her. “Qrow, let’s nail her!”

“You got it!” He twisted his weapon into its scythe form, the two of them zigzagging up into the trees as well. Tai kept running forward, seeing Starlit Brier wrap around the end of one branch and Harbinger’s long staff pressing against the branch of the tree opposite it. The two of them bent the branches as far back as they’d go without snapping, before they let go.  Like a slingshot, the branches whipped around the other way, the snow on them flinging off and flying through the air like a raid of missiles aimed straight at Raven.

Seeing it coming, she rapidly redrew, the now blue sword slicing through the attack with ease, sparing herself the same fate her fire-dusted blade had given them. She was also quick to deflect the snowball Tai quickly formed and hurled her way, batting it back with ferocity. He dodged out of the way as the now solid ball of ice zoomed past his head, leaving nothing but a hole in the ground where it impacted.

“Uhh, Plan B?” He called up at Summer.

“Keep running!!”

He about faced, zipping around the trunks and hearing the rustle above him as the other three followed from up high. He heard a few snaps from Starlit and the cracks of Harbinger’s gun as the two tried to shake loose more snow, but Raven cut through every attempt. Then, without warning, she changed tactics as she hopped down, freefalling from the trees and swinging her sword around. A vortex of red and black appeared and swallowed her.

Qrow’s loud cursing and Summer’s screeches told him Raven was now above them. The two ducked under her swipe that split apart the branches, both of them diving down to the ground below. Using her whip to catch a hold, Summer flipped neatly through the air so she could land on her feet and continue to sprint on his right. To his left, Qrow used the scythe’s sharp, crescent-like blade to spiral down a trunk, before he too was on ground level and racing with them.

All the while, doom continued to shadow them from above, drawing ever nearer with every step.

“We got a problem!” Tai said a bit breathlessly, seeing their path before them was nothing but a sudden drop. They all slid to a stop just inches from where the incline started, seeing the slope that led down into a large valley about twenty feet below. There were no trees, just a wide-open space of pure, untouched white that seemed to go on for miles.

They heard the soft crunch as Raven jumped down behind them, saying victoriously, “Nowhere to run.”

Summer whirled, hands poised by her hips. “Well if we’re going down, we’re going down fighting! Right boys?”

“Yeah!” They loudly agreed. Tai rose his fists while Qrow kept his hand angled back for his sword’s hilt.

There was a beat, and then, as if fate had been quietly waiting for those words, Tai suddenly felt the ground shift below his feet. His eyes widened, a yelp escaping him as he started to fall backwards. Qrow and Summer both turned, each of them reaching out to grab either arm, but his weight was a bit much for them and instead gravity took them with him as the snow collapsed underneath them all. He hit the slope on his back, the three of them tumbling the twenty feet and falling into a pile at the valley’s base.

A little dizzy, he sat up slowly, seeing Raven standing at the edge of the hill. “Well, that’s one way to do it.” She called down to them. “Heh. Hehe. Hehahaha!”

 Tai blinked slowly, almost unable to believe it. He grinned, glancing between the two who seemed equally surprised. Then, just joyful as they joined her, laughter seeming to brighten the air around them.

It seemed to also awaken it, snow bursting outwards from the side of a more inclined hill to their right. They jumped to their feet, seeing a dark shape lumber out of the hole on clawed wings, before it rose up to a towering height that could have sent a Nevermore to shame. The bat opened its mouth, emitting a loud cry that made his ears pulse.

“Whoops, looks like we woke up sleeping beauty!” Qrow said, drawing his sword.

Tai watched dozens of smaller Grimm file out from the hole to surround the Night Echo. These ones stood on their hind legs and were lizard-like in form, with large heads, rows of sharp teeth and long tails. Swift Seizers. “It has plenty of friends too.”

Raven skied down the hill by her heels, sliding to a stop by his side. “Well at least we found the exciting part of the trip.”

“Let’s get ‘em team!” Summer ordered and as one, they charged forward.

* * *

Rows of sharp teeth snapped in his face, threatening to shred him to pieces, but Tai held on tight to the protruding bone of the Swift Seizer’s mask as his free hand balled into a fist. “You should chill out buddy.” He said, delivering a swift uppercut to the underside of the raptor’s chin. The force vaulted it up and over the incline, where it tumbled back down the snowy cliffside. When there was no shriek to indicate it had lived, Tai continued up the slope.

Raven was there, pacing back and forth agitatedly as she held her scroll high. At another time, in another place, underneath the moonlight that seemed to make her glow, she would have looked strikingly beautiful. But right now, the sight of her only made his heart grow cold as he accepted they had failed again.

“There’s nothing.” She reported, frustration laced in every inch of her. “What is the point of these stupid towers if they don’t do anything?!”

“Raven…” He said, voice rasping with soreness. And though she was doing her best to hide it, he could see her shivering from here. They’d been out in the wind and cold too long.

“Ugh, useless garbage.” She spat at the device before shoving it in her pocket, whirling around and almost stumbling. “Let’s try to the west.”

He shut his eyes, sighing softly, but shook his head. “We need to get back.” When she started to protest he cut in, “Raven, the sun set hours ago and it’s only getting colder. I’m exhausted. _You’re_ exhausted. Let’s go back for now, get something to eat and warm up. Maybe rest for a few hours. And then we can try again when we’ve got some strength back.”

Stubborn to the very last second, she glared him down as if he was the enemy. “And if she doesn’t have a few hours?”

“Then we’ll head right back out.” Tai promised, placing a hand on her shoulder. “But, let’s try to make sure we’re not going to collapse in the meantime, okay?”

She seemed to still want to fight, but the resolve in her eyes was wavering with her weariness. Finally, she looked away with a sigh before she drew her sword and swung it outwards, the swirling vortex of black and red acting as her own personal white flag. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, before following her through the portal.

The first thing that greeted them as they stepped into the cave was the violent sound of coughing. It was enough to shake off some of the tiredness that had seeped into his bones miles ago, replaced instead by the same anxiety and fear that had first consumed him the moment Summer had been knocked back by a vicious hit and had fallen through the frozen lake hidden under the snow.

Some of the initial panic subsided as he got a good look at the scene, eyes slowly adjusting to the dim lighting of the campfire they had constructed. Summer was cocooned in every blanket they had in their supplies and he could tell some of the stark paleness had faded, leaving her skin more colored then it had been when they had left. She was also much more alert, her eyes bright and her smile wide as she said, “You’re back!”

“And you’re awake.” Raven replied in a tone comparable to as if she was giving a weather report. But, though she wasn’t one to often wear her emotions on her sleeve, the absolute relief on her face and the way she hurried over to take the spot on Summer’s left side was all Tai needed to know how she was really feeling inside. On her right, Qrow’s walls had apparently come down as well, the smile he gave the two girls surprisingly gentle.

The whole sight of the three of them, together and okay, filled Tai with a sudden, happy warmth. So much joy was zinging through him he felt on the verge of either laughing or crying. As he approached, Qrow looked his way and the expression didn’t waver – if anything he only appeared further comforted to see him.

“It’s good to see you both.” Qrow said, throwing an arm across his shoulders once he’d sat down.

“You guys too.” Tai returned, both the sentiment and embrace.

* * *

“We were able to get signal the next morning and they sent an airship for us. General Steele says we’re welcome to stay as long as we need until we’re all feeling up to traveling back.” Tai was reporting as he looked at the fuzzy picture reflecting back on the monitor.

Ozpin sat on the other side, his hands wrapped around the white mug he was rarely without. “And how is Miss Rose doing?”

“A little weak right now, but the doctor says it was only mild hypothermia and she’ll make a full recovery.” He replied, unable to help a smile. “Summer’s already complaining about being ordered all this bedrest.”

His headmaster chuckled. “I certainly can’t say I’m surprised. She is quite the spirited one.” He took a sip from his drink, before peering at him over the rim of his glasses. “I do wonder, however, how it is you all ended up five miles off such a carefully marked trail, though.”

“Uhhh….” Tai averted his gaze, suddenly wishing one of the twins was with him now as he tried to come up with a logical excuse.

He didn’t have time before the professor spoke up once more. “I suppose I’ll just have to accept it’s a mystery I’ll never solve.” He looked up, seeing Oz was now leaning back, smile knowing and eyes glinting almost merrily. “For now, I trust you all won’t be getting into any more trouble. I don’t need Zion questioning his hospitality to my students, after all.”

“Of course not! We’ll be on our best behavior.” Tai promised. He didn’t particularly desire to get on the other headmaster’s bad side either; Atlas students or not, General Steele would probably still make them run laps if they acted out of turn.

He gave a nod. “I’ll be awaiting your safe return.”

As Oz reached for the disconnect button, he spoke up, “Professor? Can I ask you something?” At the questioning eyebrow, he continued, “Have you ever heard of dust that creates light before?”

The professor drew his arm back, tilting his head some. “Light?”

“Before Summer got thrown by the Night Echo, there was a bright light that lit up the sky and then the Grimm disintegrated.”

“Perhaps fire dust?”

“I thought that too but the light was white. I’ve never seen anything like it before and Summer’s memories are a bit jumbled; she doesn’t seem to remember what happened.”

Ozpin hummed softly. “How curious. It almost sounds like magic.”

Tai snorted at that. Yeah right, like he’d believe that.

He laughed, shaking his head. “I suppose that is a bit out there, isn’t it? Mr. Xiao Long I’m afraid I don’t have the knowledge you seek. But, even in my time, I have found there are many phenomena out in the world. Perhaps it was a one-of-a-kind reaction from the dust. Or maybe a new level to Miss Rose’s semblance she has yet to fully realize. Or even something else entirely unexplained.” He folded his hands over his desk, that knowing gaze back on his face. “One thing I can say for certain is that if Miss Rose is indeed the cause of what you saw, then the answer also lies with her. In time, maybe she’ll be able to recall what exactly happened and tell you herself one day. For now, I recommend not shining to much light on an unknown gift and rather focus on the positive outcome of it.”

It wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for, but he knew it was the best he was going to get. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks professor.”

“Anytime.”

Tai left the communications room, the conversation still rolling around in his head. Though, he quickly pushed it aside when he noticed the tall, well-dressed upperclassman who stood across the hall, staring out the window. “You didn’t have to stay James.” 

“Hmm?” He turned to face him. “It was no trouble. I did promise to show you around after all. Was there anywhere else you would like to go?”

“Ah, I really should get back to my team. But uh,” His eyes darted around at the many large buildings spread along the campus that all looked exactly the same. “If you don’t mind showing me the way back to the dorms, that would really help.”

The other man smiled. “Of course.”

“I appreciate it. I definitely would have been wandering around forever otherwise.” He replied, honestly grateful. Atlas was built very differently from most places he had been to and the academy itself was three-tiered – training its soldiers, its Huntsman and its youth all at once – which left the area crowded in a way that even made him a little reserved. Finding James Ironwood in the middle of one of the halls had been a bit of blessing in disguise.

Tai had easily recognized him as he had been one of the combatants in the bi-yearly Vytal Festival, which had taken place last year in Haven. The way the Atlesian had led his squad to swiftly pincer the opposing Vacuo team in the corner and take them out within minutes had been one of the big highlights of the tournament. James especially had stuck out though because, though he had a weapon to aid him, he was also a talented hand-to-hand combatant – something that was becoming rare with the innovation of more complexly designed and tactfully combined weaponry.

If things had been different, he would have loved to of challenged the older man to a duel.

Trying not to dwell on how much his teammates would get a kick out of knowing he was becoming as combative as them, Tai followed the other as he led him out of the building and across the quad. Now that he didn’t have to worry about where he was going, he started to notice just how many people were sneaking glances or outright staring at him as he walked past. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, feeling strangely self-conscious as he tried to square his shoulders and walk with more of a stride like the other beside him.

“Did your call go well?” James asked.

Happy to latch onto the distraction, Tai was quick to answer. “Yeah. Just had to let our headmaster know we were going to be a bit late returning.”

“Professor Ozpin, right? He congratulated my team when we won the tournament.”

He smirked. “Don’t get too smug about it. Next year, my team will be able to enter and we’ll be taking the gold.”

James arched an eyebrow, anything but impressed. “You’ll catch attention, I’ll give you that. But win? Probably not with your level of recklessness.”

Tai nearly stumbled over his own two feet. He jerked his head away just in time to see two girls whispering behind their hands, giggling as they eyed him. He felt heat on his face, stubbornly staring at his shoes.

“There is certainly something remarkable about a group of first years tackling quite so many powerful Grimm and being able to return to tell the tale. However,” A heavy, firm hand clapped him on the shoulder. “While enacting a little self-discipline might sound tedious, it is through it one finds success. It is what leads us away from what we want now into obtaining what we want most.”

“You sound like the elders from my village.” Tai mumbled, ducking his head even lower.

“Then perhaps it’s time to consider if such advice was not unfounded. Nor is considering that your team could possibly use a voice of reason among them.” They came to a stop in front of the dorms. James nodded to the doors. “We’re here.”

“Thanks. I’ll uh, see you around.”

He paused part-way up the stairs to the entrance when James called, “Taiyang?” When he looked over his shoulder, the upperclassman offered him a curt nod. “If we end up facing one another in the ring next year, I will certainly not be holding back. Make sure you’re ready to give your all when that happens.”

Tai let those words sink in before facing the other fully, holding his fist towards him. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.” The bump of their knuckles sealed the promise.  

* * *

Stepping into the dorm room, what Tai expected to see was Summer peacefully asleep while Qrow and Raven tiptoed around her, doing their own thing or maybe even sleeping themselves.

What he was given instead was Qrow and Raven angrily yelling at each other as the curtains burned behind them, while Summer rushed out of the bathroom with a cup of water in hand that did little to quell the flames. Mainly because she nailed the twins with it instead, causing them to turn on her.

Fighting the temptation to just back up into the hall and close the door, he roared over the teams’ combined shouts, “WHAT’S GOING ON?”

They all paused, turning to him. It was Qrow, face full of guilt, who told him, “We were trying to make tea.”

Trying to make…? Tai shifted some, spying between the space of their bodies where the fire also crackled along the top of the desk. And in the middle of it was his now blackened tea set.

His eyes widened, waving his arms around frantically. “Put it out. PUT IT OUT!!”

A half-hour later found him sitting on the floor, pouting pathetically as he ran a cloth over the little dragon head that acted as the spout to the kettle. Beside him, Raven was silently helping with a few of the teacups, a little bottle of polish between them. Qrow had taken out the ruined curtains and was working at sanding out the top of the desk. Summer was _still_ apologizing profusely.

At the third run through of ‘We really should have asked first’ that was broken apart by a few violent coughs, Tai finally sighed, looking up at her. “It’s alright. See?” He lifted up the teapot which was starting to shine like new again. “No harm done.” He turned it to point the snarling dragon towards Qrow. “That goes for you too.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The man mumbled, though it did seem to lessen some of the tension in his face.

“I’m more worried about the fact that I just promised Professor Ozpin we wouldn’t cause more trouble, and now we have to explain why this room is lacking curtains and about an inch of wood from the desk.” Tai said.

Raven set one of the cups down, saying with absolute seriousness as she reached for the next one, “Stray lightning bolt?” When they just stared at her, she added irritably, “ _That_ was a joke.”

“Well that’s…” He paused a beat for effect, “Shocking.”

She threw her polishing rag over his face.

Laughing, he peeled it off and she took it back without complaint, not hiding the smile she wore.

Once everything was cleaned up, one way or another they found themselves all settled on Summer’s bed, sipping at the newly brewed tea. The girls had propped up the pillows along the headboard, resting against them. Qrow had stretched out on his side longwise the bed, one hand propping up his head. Level to where his stomach was, Tai sat cross-legged, a sense of warmness and familiarity stirring through him that he didn’t quite understand.

Though his birthplace had been rooted in the significance of tea shared between comrades, family, or simply those of respect and class, and it was something he had carried with him long after he’d left, it was not as if someone like him had ever been allowed into a teahouse – unless, that is, he wanted to work for it. He did not have the experience the other citizens had; that of having good tea alongside those one cared for – and he wasn’t quite sure brewing it back at the cave to keep his team warm counted. So, where this feeling came from he couldn’t explain, but he enjoyed the comforting embrace of peace and humble joy he had never been granted in his younger years.

“So,” The silence was broken gently by Summer, “Professor Oz wasn’t too mad, right?”

He shook his head. “We’re not in trouble at all.”

The twins seemed more alert suddenly, sharing a glance he ultimately didn’t comprehend. “Really?” Qrow tested, a measure of suspicion in his tone.

“….Yeah?”

“Hmph. How generous.” His sister added, complete suspicion in hers.

Their leader’s eyes flickered between them, looking as confused as Tai felt. “Perhaps, he thinks we’ve been punished enough. Not a lot of people nearly lose teammates on training exercises you know.” That managed to deteriorate the mood almost instantly. Summer sighed softly, bumping shoulders with the girl next to her. “I meant to ask you… how did you save me? I know it was you but everything else is a bit blurry.”

“I…” She frowned, unable to go any further as she looked away. “Does it matter?”

Tai glanced at her, wondering as well. They had all panicked, which had only excited the remaining Grimm surrounding them. The elder twin was the one to split from them, yelling how she would get Summer and told them to make sure the Grimm didn’t get close to her. He vaguely remembered hearing Raven screaming to her partner to hold onto the ice but by the time the field was clear and he had turned back around, Summer was already on the bank, shuddering and hyperventilating from cold shock.

When the silence continued on too long, Qrow gave an impatient sigh, pointing towards his sister. “Her semblance opened a path to you.” Raven’s blood-red gaze didn’t even make him flinch.

“Wait. Wait, _what?_ ” She twisted, sitting up on her knees, utterly flabbergasted. “But, I thought you said it only worked with Qrow?”

“I thought it did. I thought I could only bond to one person at a time.” Raven said, staring at her reflection in the metal of the teacup before sighing and setting it on the nightstand beside her. “Apparently though, if I feel strongly enough about someone that I want to protect them, then I create the bond.” Her lips were turned down in frustration, as if this newly discovered element to her semblance was unacceptable. “I never had reason to feel that way, until now.”

The last bit was barely a whisper, but impossible to miss. Watching her closely, Tai saw the stages Summer went through as that information really sunk in. From jaw-droppingly speechless and wide-eyed, to radiantly grinning and eyes glittering like stars as she held back tears. “Raven that’s, that’s amazing! You-You-”

“ _It wasn’t supposed to happen!_ ”

“W-What?”

She shook her head, wild hair flying across her shoulders. “None of this was supposed to happen. It’s all wrong.”

Summer seemed frozen, and when she finally found the strength to speak, her voice came out hurt and small. “You mean, saving me…?”

Raven turned to her abruptly, tone vehement. “ **No**.” Just as quickly, she was averting her gaze again. “It’s…it’s complicated.”

Astonished by the unfolding events, Tai was unable to tear his gaze away from the two, even as Qrow shifted to sit up.

“Raven, we should tell them.” The look she shot him was, if possible, even more deadly than the last. Still, her brother remained unmoved.

“We promised to wait until we got back.” Even without knowing what they were arguing over, it sounded like a weak defense.

“And what excuse will you make for us when we do? We agreed on this weeks ago. And anyways, if they end up being disgusted by us, they can at least leave us by the loading docks.”

 _That_ got him to look at the man beside him, though he steadfastly avoided his eye. “…Qrow?”

“Raven?” Summer echoed him.

As they had many times before, the twins shared novels between each other without uttering a single word. Finally, Raven conceded with a sigh, swinging her legs off the edge of the bed but not leaving, just perching there, tense with the need to run. When she spoke, her voice was as tightly coiled as her body was. “You know, when some kids turn twelve, they’re given a longer curfew or an allowance.” Her fingers tightened in the bedding. “When Qrow and I turned twelve, we were thrown into a Grimm pit and told to survive.”

Slowly, Summer sunk back to the bed.

“Survival and strength. Those are the only things that matter to our tribe. Anything that you needed, had to be taken. If you weren’t strong enough, if you died, that was just the natural order of things.”

In his gut, Tai felt something sick settle there, slowly looking to Qrow. His expression was completely closed off, as if he had frozen his emotions.

“As we’re here now, I guess you can imagine we passed all the tests. We were considered full-fledged members of the tribe. We had been so proud.” Raven continued, tilting her head back to grin manically at the ceiling. “And then, one day, our tribe leader pulled us aside. He said he had a very important task for us. Something that would strengthen our people and protect us for years to come. Can you guess what it was?”

Silence stretched, thick with unease and horror. Raven faced Summer, her crazed look replaced with something more sinister as she hissed, “Kill Huntsman.” She leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart. “You’re paired with a murderer, Summer.”

Their leader balled her shaking hands into fists. After a moment, her eyes shut and she took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her eyebrows had drawn down, jaw set as she challenged right back, “So are you.”

Raven was the one to back up, voice breaking with surprise. “What?”

Tai felt like the world had tipped underneath him. Not even Qrow could keep his façade up as he choked on his shock.

“I was thirteen. Someone had invaded our home. I was the only one home. He made… threats and cornered me in the kitchen. So, I grabbed a knife and stabbed him as hard as I could in the chest.” Summer’s expression faltered a little, pain and fear there as she whispered. “I don’t regret it.”

Something similar seemed to reflect in the other’s face, before she scoffed and looked away. “Tch, that’s just self-defense.”

“What does it matter?!” She snapped back. “You said so yourself; you were ordered to learn how to kill Huntsman. I know you’re not dumb. That means you understand becoming a Huntress means not every enemy we may be hired to fight will be Grimm. It doesn’t matter what the moral grounding of the other person is. In the end, it’s still taking a life Raven!” She gripped onto the woman’s shoulder, her turn to draw in close. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t insult my intelligence by thinking this little act will scare me away. Did you really expect me to believe that, after telling me this that – what? You’d just plunge your sword into me when I’m not looking?”

And then, without any preamble, she smacked her forehead into Raven’s as hard as she could.

“Ow!” The Branwen yelped, jerking back to hold her injury.

Summer winced, rubbing her own head. “That’s for thinking I’m weak, you big jerk.”

Raven’s smile was hesitant. “A mistake I will make sure not to repeat.”

“You better not!”

“Uh, guys?” Qrow spoke up, drawing their attention. “I think we broke Tai.” The bed shifted some, and a hand suddenly waving in front of his eyes had Tai jerking back, teeth clacking as his jaw snapped back in place. His friend rose an eyebrow at him, but something about him seeming cautious, like he wasn’t sure if he was stepping into a minefield. “You okay, buddy?”

“I-I-I need a moment to process this.” He stuttered, drawing a hand over his forehead where a cold sweat had broken out. Like their leader had, he shut his eyes, trying to calm the race of his heart and organize his thoughts.

He couldn’t deny that the whole conversation was disturbing, but as he dug into the reasons, he found it was less for what the twins had done and rather that people would put children in the position to have to make those decisions to begin with. He also couldn’t deny Summer’s logic, both on the Huntsman level and on the twin’s level. And while he couldn’t quite grasp the circumstances any of his teammates had been in that would force them to make such a permanent decision, he could at the very least understand growing up in a situation that was less than ideal.

When Tai gazed upon them again, he felt steady and sure. Minutes ago, he had felt more tranquility with them then he’d ever achieved in his entire life. Every bit of their past may be a fact, but this, right now, was the truth he could hold onto. “Why now?” He directed the question to Qrow. “What made you guys decide to tell us now?”

The other eyed him. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No.” His answer came instantly.

Qrow moved almost faster than he processed it and his semblance screeched at him, but other than a slight twitch, Tai didn’t move as Harbinger stopped scant centimeters from his neck. “How about now?”

He looked down the length of the sword, the fatal edge gleaming back at him, mocking in the way it promised it could kill him. Slowly he faced the other and, more firmly, repeated, “No.”

That was what finally seemed to thaw the other, and if he didn’t know him better, he would have said Qrow looking scant seconds away from _crying_. “Do you know not even Raven and I trust each other this much?” (Well, he did now.) The sword was placed back along his back and he scoffed bitterly. “I used to believe every word the tribe would feed me. For years, I focused on how the only important thing was survival. But now, I’m starting to understand that survival and living have two very different definitions.” He bowed his head, hiding his eyes. “I feel like I’ve had my entire life stolen from me and only now am I getting it back.”

“You know, there was a saying someone told me once.” Tai said, trying to sound as wise as the elder who told it too him that one rainy afternoon so many years ago, “Misfortune is like a falling glass. You don’t get to decide where the pieces fall, only how you pick them up.”

“Misfortunate, eh?” His grin was twisted. “Did you know that’s what they say crows bring?”

“A name doesn’t foretell or limit who you’ll be.” Summer said sternly. Her voice was like an electric shock; he had almost forgotten she and Raven were here at all.

The other male shook his head, grumbling, “What do you know about it?”

“ _Everything_. You think you’re the only one with a special name here?” She said, jabbing her thumb at herself. “In my culture, we aren’t born with last names. Instead they’re earned once your semblance is unlocked.” Her hand fell to the flower medallion on her waist. “Mine was given to me because the nature of my semblance is similar to how flowers pollinate. The elders chose roses specifically because they’re both beautiful and dangerous. They thought it would fit well for the warrior I would-”

“Blossom into?” Tai cut in, unable to help himself. For it, he got punched in the arm from the petite woman while the twins groaned exasperatedly. Totally worth it.

“Very funny.” She huffed, but it was mostly show. “Anyways! I remember back then, how excited I was when my name was given to me. To my people, plants are seen as an ultimate symbol of life. They can be like a mother, providing nourishment to people and animals. Wood provides safety and shelter, like a family does. They grow and die. And, especially, if say a fire wipes out a forest, it always grows back.” She chuckled, “That represents the strength and stubbornness of humanity.” 

“So, to be given the name of a plant must be a great honor.” Raven deduced.

She nodded. “Right! And at first, it was wonderful. But…” As she hesitated, her smile turned into a frown. It was like watching her wilt before their eyes as she curled into herself. “It wasn’t long before I began to see how much it also put pressure and expectation on me. People began to see me more as a name then a person. I can’t tell you the amount of times I heard what great things I would do and how much I was destined for and how unstoppable I’d be. But ‘Rose’… it’s just bunch of letters; the only one who can do anything about it is me.” She sighed softly, looking down at her lap where her hands rested. “Really, you can’t imagine the relief I felt when I had teammates like you three. You guys don’t treat me like I’m invincible. You treat me like I’m human. It’s… nice.”

The words quickly grounded them, but it was what she said next that had a true effect: “And anyways, if anything is going to make me great, it’s you guys.” Tai felt his face heat a bit, shaking his head, while Qrow snickered and Raven groaned again. “What? What?!”

“How do you always say things like that with such a straight face?” The woman next to her grumbled.

“Because it’s… true?” She said, baffled like usual. There was something endearing about how she could always say such heartfelt things so easily, even if it was a little embarrassing.

When she started to cough again, Tai slipped off the bed, stretching a bit before collecting the cups that had gotten scattered during the conversation. “I’ll make more tea.”

As he ducked into the bathroom, he heard the hum of conversation continue behind him. He flipped back on the dust powered hotplate, enjoying the calm, relaxed tone coming from the other room that settled so naturally even after everything that had been said. Upon his return with the refilled cups, he found that the girls had both settled against the headboard once more, Summer smiling contently as she nestled a little lower, leaning on Raven’s arm. Qrow was still sitting up but he had slid down the bed so he could stretch his legs out, one of his socked feet poking his sister’s knee in a mostly-ignored effort to annoy her. Maybe it was something in their expressions or just the general air around them, but Tai couldn’t help but see just how much lighter the twins appeared now that the weight of their secrets was gone. Once the tea was handed out once more, Tai placed the tray on the ground and sat back down on the bed.

“Man,” Qrow was the first to speak, clinking his cup together with Tai’s. “That was one hot minute of getting all touchy-feely with our emotions wasn’t it?”

“Yep. Only one remedy for it.” Summer said, before pointing with a grin. “Your turn!”

Tai spluttered a bit. “Wait, what?”

She traced the rim of her teacup with her finger, beseeching, “Complete the circle. Tell us a story about how you grew up.”

His heart hammered uncomfortably in his chest, which felt a little ridiculous because with all the things they just told him, what did he really have to hide? “Uh, there’s not really much to tell.”

“So, what? You just had a perfect little family on the countryside?” His partner said, seeing right through him.

“No. It’s more that I just don’t really feel much pride in how I grew up.” He shook his head. “You see, my culture isn’t really kind to… people like me.”

“And that means?” Raven pushed, her eyes seeming to pierce him.

He shut his eyes briefly, their combined stares quickly dismantling his defenses. Well, it wasn’t like he had anything to lose.

“Where I grew up, your family name, your ancestry and your honor means everything. It decides your social standing, what opportunities you have available, even who you’ll marry and how wealthy you’ll be. Everything is decided the moment your born and you have to carry your family name well, because if you don’t, you can destroy the future of your entire linage.” He averted his gaze, focusing on a loose thread in the bedding. “Then there’s people like me. Those who lived on the outskirts and had their homes ripped to nothing by Grimm. So many of us get lost that way. And when you have no family, nothing to your name, no ancestors…” He looked up at them, “You _are_ nothing.”

The words had a varied effect. Raven’s lips merely tightened some, her expression disapproving. Beside him, Qrow was frowning. And Summer just seemed sad. None of them spoke though, so he continued, “Being that low on the social ladder meant I only had two choices: Become a servant, or leave and try and make a name for myself from the ground up.” He chuckled. “No way was I delivering tea to the snooty upper class for the rest of my life. So, when I was eight, I started to learn how to fight. Of course, I didn’t have money for classes, so I just found ways to peer in on some martial arts lessons and practiced in my own time. And when I was ten, I set out. Eventually, I was able to stowaway on a boat, and ended up in Patch. Got into Signal and worked my ass off to become the top of my class – not because I wanted to but because I _had_ to.” He lounged back on one of his hands. “It paid off in the end. So many roads were suddenly open to me.”

“So why here?” Qrow asked.

“It’s, kinda embarrassing to say out loud. But,” He hesitated, the sight of his torn apart home being pushed to the forefront of his memory. Not that he had to go searching very hard, since it was the only thing he could recall. “Had I known what a hunter was back then, I know I would have wished for one to be there to protect my family. Because I didn’t have that, I decided I wanted to become some other kid’s wish instead. So, here I am.”

Raven snorted, crossing her arms. “How fitting that Mr. Sunshine has the most honest reason of us all.”

“Ssh!” Summer smacked her arm lightly. “I like it.”

She rolled her eyes. “You would.”

Taiyang smiled behind a sip of tea, letting them bicker. Not quite as brave as their leader, he couldn’t say it out loud. But he knew, that after thirteen long years of being alone, he had _finally_ found a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when I was looking for an idea for what Taiyang’s semblance could be, I actually read a line from Spike Spiegel’s wiki page about ‘predicting the moves of his opponents’ and a lightbulb went off in my head. I not only liked how fitting it was, but also how well it could pair with Qrow’s (whose own semblance is, let’s admit it, kind of a plot hole). Though I’ve given Tai a lot of different semblances over the course of my stories, this one was my first and still remains my favorite choice. 
> 
> For Summer, I was really just digging into the rose trope as hard as I could; hence why I gave her whips as they are meant to mimic vines. 
> 
> I meant to have each character’s customs parallel real life’s; Taiyang’s is very obviously rooted in ancestral Chinese. Qrow and Raven’s is meant to be mostly olden-day warrior Welsh with a side-dish of Japanese. Summer’s…admittedly I wanted to go with Irish, to match her poem’s origins but honestly I’m just making it up on the fly.


	2. Act Two, Years Two & Three: To Love...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, originally what is now going to be chapters two and three was just one chapter. But my beta reader let me know that it was a bit of an exhausting read (and I can’t exactly disagree – both chapters total 21k words), so the decision to split it into more manageable pieces was made – hence why the title is also split.
> 
> Please enjoy Act 2: Part one!

The cheers around them were thunderous as they walked out into the sunlight, the announcer’s voice booming over the intercom. “We’ve arrived at the final match of the day folks! Reintroducing Team JSPR from Atlas whom, as many of you may recall, won the last tournament with skillful strategy and power! Led by James Ironwood, they’ve quickly become a fan favorite and I hear many are expecting them to take home the trophy yet again as a strong sendoff for their final year.”

The noise was nothing compared to the blood rushing through his ears and as Tai stepped up onto the platform with his teammates, he felt anticipation and adrenalin pumping through him.

“However, fame is fleeting and it may just be Beacon’s own Team STRQ that’ll sweep it right out from under them. Led by Summer Rose, the teams’ proven to be exceptionally clever and innovative when facing foes. Now it’s time to see if that will be enough for the rookie team to combat their opponent’s experience.”

Tai grinned across the way at the leader of the opposing team. James returned it with a muted smirk.

“You guys remember the plan right?” Summer asked, the field randomizer on their opponent’s side landing on the ice field.

“Ready to go.” Qrow assured, pushing his hair back.

Raven’s hand fell to her sword. “Let’s hope they can last a little while.”

Behind them there was a ping as the mountain field was chosen. Tai felt the rumbling under his feet as it began to rise. He shifted as he rose fists high. “That would require us asking you to go easy on someone.”

“Hah! Now that’s impossible.”

Their leader bounced on her heels eagerly. “Let’s kick their butts.”

“ **THREE!** ” The announcer began the countdown. Tai took a deep breath, concentrating on finding his center. His eyes fell shut, and with the darkness, a memory played behind his eyelids.

“Alright! This session is all about focusing on the things we need to improve on.” A younger Summer stood before them as they gathered onto their outdoor training field for the second time. With shoulders squared and jaw set with determination, she whirled on Qrow first. “What’s even the point of having a surprise weapon if you never utilize it? We all know you’re incredible with your scythe but your swordsmanship totally sucks. So, I’m putting Raven in charge of training you. By the end of this school year, you need to be able to beat her in a match.”

“What!? That’s only nine months!” He cried, edging away from the thrilled smirk his sister sent his way.

“Then you better train hard.” She turned to the other twin. “Raven, you’re a stunning fighter on your own, but you have no idea how to move with a team. You outright ditched Qrow and Tai during our fight yesterday.”

She crossed her arms. “They were getting in my way.”

“No. You were getting in theirs.” She corrected sternly. “For you, you need to focus on learning how to move seamlessly with us. So, first thing we’re going to start with? Dancing.”

Her arms dropped, eyebrows going up high. “You’re kidding.”

“Not in the least.” She said, overly chipper, ignoring the snickers coming from the boys. “Being able to follow someone’s lead in a dance isn’t that different from doing so in battle. It’s only step one, but we’ll get into more complex things once you’ve perfected that.”

Turning away from her partner’s incredulity, she took a few steps until she stood in front of Tai, placing a hand on her chest. “As for me, I’d be absolutely lost without my whips. Think you can teach me how to kick through a wooden board?”

“Normally it’s a punch.”

Her eyes widened in excitement. “That’s even more awesome!”

He laughed, giving her a nod. “And yeah, I can.”

“Perfect! Now, as for you Tai,” She turned, pointing towards the field. “Go stand over there.”

“ **TWO!** ”

“Tell me when.” He could hear her feet swishing through the grass as she slowly approached, but he concentrated hard instead on his semblance and not what the rest of his senses were telling him.

Finally, he felt the press of her presence and tensed up. “There.”

Summer gave a noise that almost sounded displeased. “Alright, now.” She walked backwards, out of his range. He flinched though when Starlit Brier swung above his head. “Feel that?”

“Oh yeah.” A few more swings and soon enough he was telling her the sensation was gone.

“Hmm, okay. You can open your eyes now.” When he did, he could see the thoughtful expression on Summer’s face. “So it’s about three feet in front of you and only two above.” Her eyes flicked from the sky back to his face. “Your semblance is amazing, but the range is way too short. It doesn’t give you enough time to respond if your opponent has a long-ranged weapon and that is a huge weakness.” She turned, walking slowly along the grass as she continued. “But if we can train it, think about what a benefit that could be. The further you can feel something coming, the faster you can react or defend. You might even be able to warn us of dangers coming for us and you could cover Qrow’s semblance more effectively too.” She paused, shooting an apologetic look across the field. “No offense.”

Qrow merely gave a shrug in response.

“So! By the end of the year,” She stopped and twisted on her heels, snapping her whips down, thorns glowing bright red. Flames scorched into the grass, creating a perfect, blackened circle around them. “You need to be able to sense this far.”

Tai turned slowly, looking around at the ring, then back to where Summer stood at the apex. _Twenty feet away_. She had to be joking. “Uh, not that I don’t see your point, but my semblance isn’t something I use. It’s just there. How do I train something like that?”

“We start by blinding you.” She waved a hand towards him. “Your bandanna. Put it over your eyes.”

He rose his hand over the orange cloth almost protectively, suspicion mounting. “And then what?”

“And then,” Summer repeated, face full of more joy then it ought to be as she wickedly lifted up her whips. “You just have to learn how to avoid me.”

“ **ONE!** ”

His eyes snapped open, the visions of the past fading into the present and a grid of the surrounding area tickling along his semblance like a photographic blueprint.

“ **BEGIN!** ”

As one, Summer and he charged forward, splitting into a U shape as they tried to ensnare the enemy on either side. It would look familiar to James, as it was the same formation that the student had used to win his own team round last year.

“Stand your ground! Focus on the flankers!” James ordered. His team responded instantly, rearing up their weapons for a counterattack. Of course, Atlas students wouldn’t panic.

And they were counting on that.

“Whoa!” Tai jumped over the swing of a chain, the heavy barbell at the end of it impacting heavily into the ground. In the corner of his awareness, he could sense Summer rotating her whip like a fan, the makeshift shield deflecting bullets raining towards her.

“Sir!” One of the students, Shelly he thought her name was, shouted suddenly.

He knew they had spotted Raven.

Soaring in from overhead like the bird she was named after, the elder twin drew her sword, slicing open a vortex as she landed a few feet behind the Atlesians. Shelly was the first to spring forward, giving a yell as she stabbed towards the other with her halberd. Raven was quick to twist out of the way, delivering a brutal kick to the woman’s backside to throw her into the portal.

James drew his revolver on her, but Tai intervened, striking the man’s inner elbow to jerk his arm another direction, the shot going wild. His second swing, aimed for the elder’s face, was intercepted. They grappled, both of them trying to win an edge in the lock. Or perhaps, his opponent was.

Tai was just buying a few seconds of time.

He knew he had succeeded when Summer yelled, “Whoo-hoo!” Ice dust creating a pathway right into the portal as she came gliding past. Her whips snapped out, encircling the waists of James’ last two teammates, pulling them right on in.

They reappeared in the rock field, where Qrow – after using the flat end of Harbriner to vault Raven into the air – had sprinted off to. Gunshots were already ringing loudly as he herded Shelly towards the edge of the ring. Meanwhile, Summer used her momentum as she reached the end of her icy slide to twist around, looking as graceful as a ballerina even as she tossed the two students in either direction. Both hit the ground hard.

“Have fun Tai.” Raven said in parting before stepping into her own portal, appearing next to Summer. With a quick look to each other, the girls choose an opponent and struck forward.

They quickly became nothing but background noise. He grinned up at the other. “Think your team’ll be alright without you?”

“I think the better question is,” James flipped the revolver in his hand around, pointing it straight for Tai’s head. “Will you be alright without yours?”

He sprung back, ears ringing as the gun went off but the bullet missed by a mile. So, did the next three as he ducked around them. He clenched his fingers, the dust-imbued knuckles of Drakonium Morder firing up, and he dashed forward, aiming for the man’s stomach. What he did not expect was for James to toss his gun up and catch his punch – with his _hand_.

The pressure that closed around his fist was decidedly unnatural, though he couldn’t pinpoint why, and the iron grip held him in place as the man caught his gun and swung it, the butt of it bludgeoning him in face. It was almost enough to bring him down, senses reeling as his aura worked to counteract it; but it was his semblance, screeching about another oncoming strike, that jolted him into action. He twisted his hand in the other’s grip, the flames turning to sparks as the lightning dust activated. It had a definite reaction, the grip quickly letting go as James lurched backwards, just barely missing Tai’s uppercut. He followed up immediately with a harsh left hook – only to be surprised again when James quickly dodged it, gripping his wrist and upper arm and with more power than he expected, before tossing him clear across the platform.

“Ack!” Tai hit the ground of the ice field, sliding beyond his control and crashing right through a frozen stalagmite that left the air whooshing out of him. He coughed as he came to a stop, slowly getting to his feet.

“I’m a little disappointed if this is your all, Taiyang.” James called from where he stood, shaking out his right arm, the fingers twitching almost unnaturally.

Past him, Tai could see flickers of movement as his team dominated the opposing team. Raven, diving off the edge of the mountain after her falling opponent, slicing open a portal underneath him before she struck her blade into the rock, stopping her own descent. Qrow, undisturbed as a portal opened up above him as he jumped back, just far enough to twist Harbringer into the scythe, before striking forward, catching both of the Atlesian teammates as they collided into one another in the curve of the blade and with a quick spin, threw them right out of the ring. Summer, on the edges of her own victory as she used wind dust to flurry up a sandstorm, effectively blinding her foe and she lashed out full-force with both her whips.

He knew, if he lost, his teammates could carry them through.

But, as he focused back onto James, he settled his resolve onto not letting that even be a possibility. He shifted his feet, sliding one back behind him and instead of raising his fists up to his face like the brawler he normally was, he moved into a more traditional back stance. “Ain’t done yet.”

An arch of an eyebrow was the only response to the sudden change of form, before James started to stalk forward, slowly at first, before gaining speed. Tai made sure to stay still, a long ago lesson of one of his many unaware teachers whispering through his head: _“Wait long, strike fast.”_

And so he waited, watching every step, every shift of an arm, every blink of the eyes. Waiting, waiting…

And then James’ boots hit the ice and he moved.

“HAH!” Tai shifted his back leg forward and up high, before slamming his heel into the ground. The powerful blow cracked the ice, a solid block of it that was large enough to shield himself jutting up in front of him. He twisted around, this time using the flat of his foot to deliver a more measured attack and the ice block went charging forward like a bulldozing Ursa right for the other.

Not even pausing, he circled around to come at the man from behind, jumping and twisting into the air to deliver yet another devastating kick to the other’s flank. Having used his unusual right arm to block the ice, it left James with only his left to block him. It certainly wasn’t enough and now it was the Atlesian’s turn to go sliding along the ice. Tai continued to spin as gravity brought him down, landing in a crouch on his hands and the tips of his toes, before he used his arms to springboard him back to his feet and chased after his opponent.

He weaved around a sudden flurry of bullets, James using the extra gained seconds of time to be able to stand back up. Tai wasn’t about to allow them to matter, feeling something shift in his semblance as everything zeroed in around only him and James, his focus becoming razor sharp. He ducked under a punch aimed for his head, raising his leg to knee the other in the solar plexus but already knowing that a hand would be there to catch it. There wasn’t one for the hit he delivered to James’ hard right shoulder - metal, it was _metal_ – the electric current sending the man reeling back. He didn’t let up, unleashing a quick succession of jabs into the other’s torso, expending the entirety of the lighting dust he kept in the leather gauntlet, before ending it with a harsh thrust of his fist into the center of the other’s chest.

He watched the other man slide all the way across the field, balancing on the edge only by the midsoles of his shoes, teetering there. Tai gave him a wave, kicking off the top of a nearby spike of ice and, though James crossed his arms in front of him to protect him from the blow, it was just enough to make him go toppling out of the ring. Above him, the monitor gave a signifying call as it registered their final opponent was out of the match.

“Oh and what a surprisingly spectacular display that was!” The announcer called as the crowd roared with excitement. Feeling unabashedly proud, Tai ran a hand over his brow as he hiked his way back to the other field, unable to contain his grin as he approached his teammates.

“Gotta say, those were some pretty slick moves.” Qrow said, raising his fist.

“Was that a pun?” He replied, bumping their knuckles together.

“What can I say? I’m learning from the master.”

A sudden weight dropped onto both their shoulders, Summer squealing as she latched onto them and, being too short to comfortably do this and stand, just happily swung between them. “We did it! Oh man, you guys were all amazing!” She looked around suddenly, calling over her shoulder, “Raven, come on. This is totally group hug time!”

“Ugh.” She crossed her arms, nose wrinkling, “Do I have to?”

Summer jumped down, only to snap Starlit Brier around Raven’s waist. “Get over here!” The woman yelped as she was yanked forward, only to become their leader’s personal teddy bear as she latched onto her in an almost painfully tight embrace. After a few beats, Tai and Qrow wrapped them up in their arms between them.

It was a testament to her self-control when Raven’s only response to this was a roll of her eyes and an overexaggerated sigh of exasperation.

Everyone could see her smiling anyways.

* * *

The abandoned warehouse rattled as heavy bass thrummed through ever corner of the room. It was the end of semester party always held by the senior class down by the docks. With it off-campus and out of view of any meddling authority, they could get as rowdy and drunk as they liked. And of which team STRQ had gotten special invitation to after sweeping through the competition at the tournaments. Tai was winding through the crowd, his dulled senses relying entirely on his semblance to avoid flaying limbs and shoulder checks. He squinted around, trying to make sense of the mass of upperclassmen, and somehow came out of the crowd holding a plastic red cup.

He peered at it curiously, trying to remember precisely who had handed it to him, before shrugging it off and raising the cup to his lips. He almost spilled it down his front when it was violently snatched from his grip. “Huh?” He turned, all sorts of feelings hitting him at once when he lied his eyes on a literal goddess standing before him. He grinned goofily. “Hey angel, did you fall from heaven for me?”

“Unbelievable. This drunk and you’re still making puns.”

Oh wait, he knew this angel. He blinked away some blurriness, the woman’s unamused frown registering sluggishly. “Oh, hey Raven.”

“Did you find Qrow?”

Oh, right, that’s what he was doing. He looked over his shoulder, just to make sure. “Uh, I don’t think so.” He finally reported.

“By the gods… okay,” She grabbed his arm, yanking him over to a rickety folding table, sitting him down next to another pretty girl that, after a second look, he realized he also knew. “Watch over Summer. I’m going to go find him.”

“Kay,” He sing-songed for no reason at all, turning his attention to the slight girl who had her head buried into her arms. He reached out, threading his hands through her hair. “Sum-Sum, you okay?”

“I want to go home.” Her voice was muffled.

This absolutely broke his heart. “What? Why? Did I do something wrong?” Without waiting for an answer, he carried on. “I’ll get my semblance to go to 300 feet if you stay.”

She peeked up at him between the strands of her hair, before sitting up, a measure of care in her movements as if she wasn’t sure she was dispersing her weight properly. “I meant back to the dorms. Not _home_ -home.”

“Oh, okay.” He said, then added brightly, “I’ll build you a home though. Anywhere you want.”

“Uh, what?”

He waved his hands outwards as far as he could manage, almost tipping right off the chair when he started to sway sideways. “Anywhere in the entire world. All for you. And me. And Raven. And Qrow. And…” He thought hard about this. “Eight corgi puppies.”

She hid an amused snort. “Why Corgis? And why _eight_?”

“Because corgis are the best dogs.” He said firmly, the fact undisputable in his mind. “And eight is the best number. Because, see each of us will have a dog,” He put a hand down on the table, then placed his other next to it, “and then our dog will have a dog-friend. It’s foolproof!”

“Why not get twelve then? Then our dogs will have two friends.”

He frowned some. “But I can’t feed twelve dogs.”

“Oh, but you can feed eight?”

“Yes.” He nodded, the table somehow running into his chest.

“Oh gosh Tai, how much have you had to drink?” Summer giggled behind her hand.

He thought a long moment on this, vaguely recalling the amount of people who just kept handing him cups as he mingled with the crowd. “Well, you know, it’s rude not to take something given to you.”

If she had a response to that, she wasn’t given a chance to voice it before an equally inebriated Qrow was staggering over, legs running into the table. He patted the plastic surface apologetically. “Sorry buddy.” And then he noticed him and held out his arms joyously, “Tai-guy!”

“Qrow-bro!” He mimicked the gesture, letting his partner fall against him, bear-hugging him tightly.

“I missed you so much man!”

He suddenly had an epiphany that he felt the same. “I missed you too!”

Qrow pulled away, placing his hands on his shoulders with great purpose. “Hey look, we gotta- gotta-” And then he saw Summer and lost his train of thought, stumbling over to embrace her. “Flowerbud!”

“That’s it; next time we do this I’m keeping you two on a short leash.” Raven muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Leash…? Oh right! “Raven we’re gonna have eight Corgi puppies, okay?”

“ _What?!_ ”

So, again, he described his grand master plan about the house with a room for each of them, enough puppies so that everyone had a friend and that friend had a friend and one wine cellar– wait, did Qrow add something? – somewhere, anywhere in the big, wide world.

“And, okay, so – wait.” He froze, looking around, realizing the flashing lights and loud music were gone, replaced by dusty streetlamps and the faint noise of automobiles in the distance. He inflected as much calm as he could as he broke the terrible news: “Guys, don’t panic, but we’re outside.”

Summer burst into laughter even as she bent over, arms wrapped around her midsection. “Oh god. Oh my stomach. Ooooh laughing hurts. Gonna die.”

A wide-eyed Qrow whirled around, Tai catching his elbow when he staggered on the curb. “Summer’s gonna die?!”

“No!” His sister snapped.

“A-Are you sure though? Like, _really_ sure?” Tai asked, terrified.

“Yes!”

“Goodbye cruel world.”

“Summer stop it!”

By the time they got back to Beacon, they had somehow found a way to save their (mostly) fearless leader. Tai couldn’t recall at the present exactly how, because Raven had given him the task of helping keep Qrow upright. It sounded easy, but the other’s semblance was making the ground tilted, so he kept sliding to the left. The stairs were especially tricky as an ill-fated earthquake must have jutted them up a few extra feet, causing him to step up much more than usual.

He wasn’t really sure why the girls kept laughing at him. It was a very serious predicament!

Eventually though, he managed to get them there, and as he drifted off, he felt exceptionally proud.

The next morning, as he came stumbling back into the room after throwing up about a quarter of his guts, he felt like an utter idiot. “Summer.” He groaned, weakly climbing back into bed, stuffing his head under his pillow. The lack of light did wonders for the pulsing ache behind his eyes. “I’m making a team pact right now: we’re losing the tournament next time.”

“Mmm’kay.” The girl agreed, arm thrown over her eyes.

“Lightweights.” Insulted the blanket ball in the bed next to his, only one bare foot exposed at the corner.

Watching them with a measure of disdain, Raven sipped on some tea. “Well, I have to say I’m disappointed I won’t get to see another declaration.”

“What does that mean?” Tai asked.

“You don’t remember? I’m injured, truly.” She said drily. “And after you said it all with such conviction too.”

That, combined with chuckles from his other two teammates, filled him with dread. He slowly extracted himself from his pillow haven, eyeing the woman searchingly. “What did I do?”

“I am so pleased you asked.” She practically _purred_ , which told him what was about to happen did not bode well for him at all. She fetched her scroll from the side table, and he could see through the translucent glass that she was opening up her video files. She opened up one before chucking it across the room. He caught it, seeing a thumbnail that told him nothing since it was a picture of the concrete. Feeling doom settle on his shoulders, Tai braced himself as he hit the play button.

“Tai, get down from there!” Summer’s frantic voice came to life. “What if a teacher sees you?”

“Let them! They’ll be brought to tears when they listen to this announcement!” He held back a grimace at the sound of his own voice, awkward and a bit higher then he wished it was, playing back at him.

“Yeah, preach it brother!” Qrow slurred loudly. He had to be absolutely smashed if he was sounding like a disciple all of a sudden.

“This ought to be good.” Raven said, panning up the camera. “Let’s hear it then.”

He instantly recognized the dorm-side courtyard and the iconic huntsman academy statue that was out front, centered in the middle of a fountain. A fountain he had decided to scale, one foot on the concrete platform of the second tier, the other foot half submerged in one of the many square columns that gushed water into the basin below. He spared a glance to his waterlogged shoes tossed carelessly on the floor, understanding dawning. Drunk him didn’t even seem to notice as he spread his arms wide, “Alright listen up! This is a declaration. A declaration of love!”

“Oh gods.” Tai whispered to himself, his face already burning up.

“Let the-the moon and the stars be my witness!” He carried on, pointing towards the sky. “That on this day I swear to build a house for the four of us. It will be the grandest house in all of Remnant because it will have the three most amazing people I know living inside of it.” He gestured strangely, trying to mime a house with his palms. “A room for each of us. The comfiest couch we can find. A big yard for all our puppies. Stairs!”

“A wine cellar!”

“Yes!” Tai pointed to his partner. “The most ginormous wine cellar. Three levels underground and so extensive you’ll never be able to try ‘em all.”

“And flowerbeds?” Summer chimed in.

He swept his arms outwards. “A whole meadow, full with every kind of flower that exists.” Tai turned to face the camera, pointing at it. “And you? What do you want Raven?”

“I want you to get down.” A beat of silence, then, “And a fireplace.”

“You got it!” He cried jubilantly before jumping down into the shin-deep water, grinning as he sloshed over, freezing just as he was about to climb out.

In real time, Tai looked towards his teammate pleadingly. “I’ll give you five lien to delete it.”

“A fireplace or no deal.”

He let his head crash back into his pillow, heaving a loud sigh of defeat as he let the device drop onto the bed. He felt a foot poke him in the hip, Qrow emerging from his blanket cocoon to reassure him, “Hey at least you didn’t go streaking through the gardens or something.”

“I thought it was cute, even if you were being a bit silly about it.” Summer added. “You really care about us.”

“’Course I do.” He mumbled. “I love you guys. I just didn’t want to look like a fool while saying it.”

It took him a few moments to realize that a deathly hush had fallen. He rose his head, looking to the girls first. Summer’s eyes had widened marginally, jaw a little agape. Raven’s eyebrows were drawn downwards, her expression shrouded. Qrow was not much better, the stoic mask he hadn’t seen in almost a year on his face.

“Uh… did I say something wrong?” He asked hesitantly, panicking as he tried to re-decipher his own words.

It was, as usual, their leader who caught her bearings first, and some of the tension uncoiled when her face softened, smile warm. “Not at all. I think you’re just the first one to use the L word, that’s all.”

“Oh.” But no, that couldn’t be right. Summer had to of said it at some point, right? She was always the one to say heartwarming stuff like that. Yet, as he wracked his brain over nearly a year and half’s worth of conversation, he couldn’t actually recall it being said aloud. It was just felt. By him. _Only_ him?

Well. Shit. Now he felt nauseous from his own nerves. “Sorry?”

Seeming to sense his anxiety, Qrow said quickly, “It, hey it uh, wasn’t a bad thing.” He tried awkwardly. “Me and Raven just… we never heard that sort of thing much, you know?”

“Ever.” His twin said quietly, running her fingers through the ends of some of her hair. Something Tai knew she only did when really distressed.

Her brother shot her a sympathetic smile before directing his gaze back on him, “Don’t let our emotionally conflicted and socially inept way of handling shit like this make you feel bad. Believe me, it uh…” He struggled, had to look away. “It really meant a hell of a lot to hear it.”

Tai smiled at him, even if he couldn’t see it. Somehow, that did make him feel a lot better. “Thanks.”

Bedsprings shifted, Summer wobbling to her feet. Still wearing her now-wrinkled clothes from last night and hair sticking up in odd places, she looked rather unkempt. “Well, I’ll just add that I love you all too. Guess I should have been saying it a lot sooner though.”

The twins didn’t echo it, but as Summer poured the rest of the still-warm tea and handed it out, the usual calm settling in as they drifted to casual conversation, Tai found it wasn’t really necessary for them to. For even without words it was felt, just like this.

* * *

Missions rarely went wrong.

“ **Ow!** Fucking fuck!”

…When they did, they tended to go _very_ wrong.

It had been a straightforward assignment. The village of Mistdyn, located at the south western quadrant of Vale, needed some routine Grimm control. It suffered few attacks, small and rundown as it was, but it also lacked in defenses and wealth; so, when the beasts began to build nests in their surrounding groves that became too great to ignore, the townspeople called for help. Upon their arrival, the four of them scouted out the glades to account for both the species variety and number sum, and over the course of the next few days, started to systematically exterminate each infestation.

The Tygress that prowled up behind Raven and he towards the end of the job on the third day had been unaccounted for.

Normally, a misstep like that wouldn’t throw them too far off their game, despite the fact they hadn’t been prepared for a bout with an Alpha level Grimm. Yet when his warning cry was heeded too late and Raven became pinned under the feline’s massive paws, when her yells tinged on panic as her aura flickered out, Tai couldn’t think anymore. He only acted, diving in to intercept the creature’s lunge.

That was why he was now sporting a lovely, six-inch long laceration on his right shoulder where his shoulder guard couldn’t quite protect him from the Tygress’ fangs after his own overtaxed aura gave way. It was certain to scar; a permanent reminder of how he’d been reckless and stupid, just as James and the village elders had told him not to be. He supposed it was better than being dead, which he probably would have been, if not for Summer and-

Qrow. Who gasped mockingly even as he continued to dab at the tattered, ugly gash along Tai’s shoulder. “Such _language_ firework!”

Tai grit his teeth against the sparks of pain exploding at every brush of the cloth, hissing out, “Bite me.”

Before the other could even think to follow up with one of his countless inappropriate one-liners, Summer swooped in, flicking Qrow on the temple. “Behave.” She spread the supplies along the bedspread beside them. Tai tried not to look at the needle they’d be using for the stitches, focusing instead on his leader’s eyes as she addressed him, “How are you doing?”

“Well, I could use a nurse that has better bedside manner.” He replied, wincing when the comment earned him some added pressure. “But it’s just a scrap, I’ll be fine.” Across the room of the broken-down inn they’d rented, there was a soft _tch_ sound, prompting him to glance over. “What?”

Raven didn’t even have the gall to look at him. The damaged wallpaper that framed her, discolored and peeling, only seemed to highlight the way she sagged against it. “Just leave it to you to joke around like it doesn’t matter.” Even her voice seemed reserved. Unusual.

Suspicion mounting, Tai waved Qrow away, his own legs feeling a bit heavy as he ambled over to where she stood. At his approach, she only sunk further down.

A year ago, he could have easily misunderstood it for guilt.

That was because a year ago, he would have believed it easier to disregard the complicated mess of a woman Raven was, rather than to heed her with even the briefest of considerations.

Simple things, like noticing a lackluster attitude that advanced alongside the day.

Or an unfinished plate during breakfast.

So when he reached out, placing his hand along her forehead and felt the feverish heat of her skin under his palm, he wasn’t surprised, just dismayed he hadn’t figured it out sooner. “Rae, you’re burning up.”

She knocked his hand away, avoiding his eye. “So?”

“So, why didn’t you say something?”

“What does it matter?”

Behind him, Tai heard a sharp movement, followed by a soft, “Hold up there flowerbud.”

Trusting they wouldn’t be interrupted, Tai blazed on, “It matters because you shouldn’t have gone with us if you weren’t feeling well.”

“That doesn’t make a difference.”

“ _Yes_ it does.” He stated firmly, temper flaring. “You stupidly put us all at risk, especially yourself!”

Where his voice rose, she did as well, until she stood at her full height so she could face him head-on. “Well I’m not the fool who jumps in front of attacks for his teammates every chance he gets!”

“Oh!” He threw out his hands, the sharp pain of his shoulder only matched by the one in his chest. “So, now I’m a fool for saving your life?!”

“Yes! I didn’t need you to!”

“Sure looked like it to me! You were going to **die** Raven!”

“Then let me die!” She smacked her fist against her chest, swearing the words onto her heart. “If I can’t do it on my own then you’re supposed to leave me behind! That’s the rule!”

“ **You’re not in the tribe Raven!** ” Tai roared right back, forcefully enough it made her jerk back in surprise. He took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly and with it, his fury. “And I know that’s hard for you to look past. Or even _get_ past. But you need to try and understand that no one on this team is ever going to turn their backs on you just because you’re not at your best all the time. Someone will always be here to look out for you, whether you like it or not.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll jump in front of a thousand Grimm for you if that’s what it takes to make you believe it.”

At first, Raven merely stared at him searchingly, as if trying to detect any falsehood. Then she peered across his shoulder, no doubt giving Summer and even – or maybe, especially – Qrow the same scrutiny.

“Well.” She finally turned back to him, trying to maintain her air of nonchalance as if they hadn’t just been screaming at each other. “If you’re going to do that, then you better make sure you’re not about to bleed out from the first one.”

Tai reluctantly took her advice and slunk back to the others, figuring that was probably the only answer he was going to get from her for now.

What he held onto was the better one he received upon their return to their daily classes at Beacon:

A scrap of paper with the written words ‘You’re still a fool’ on it fluttering down from a portal that opened to him for the very first time.

* * *

Tai’s fingers gripped around his scroll tightly enough that he threatened to break it as he read message he had just received. His heart pounded hard in his ears and his mind spun with thoughts of how to respond, or even if he should at all. So caught up in his own emotions, he didn’t notice that the night-time stroller in the area was getting closer to him until he spoke.

“What are you doing out here?” Tai jumped, looking up in surprise. Qrow, after getting a good look at his face, turned unusually serious. “Hey, you alright?”

“Ah… yeah.” He swallowed thickly, turning away to discreetly rub at his eyes.

His teammate settled on the wooden bench beside him. “What happened?” In response, Tai just wordlessly held out his scroll to the other. After a beat of silence, there was a mumbled, “Oh.” Followed by an awkward, “That. That’s unfortunate.”

“Yeah.” He replied, pulling his hand back only to reread the text himself. Anger stirred within him like a storm and he was half-tempted to toss it into the pond they sat in front of. “Tch, bastard couldn’t even say it to my face.”

At first, there was no response, but suddenly a bottle was shoved in his peripheral view. “Wanna drink your worries away?”

Tai looked at his friend sharply. “How did you even get that?” Now that he thought about it, Qrow kind of reeked of alcohol too. He knew his friend was an adult, but it worried him sometimes just how much he was going out of his way to partake in the bad habit. It was becoming an all too common sight to return to the room on a Friday or Saturday night (or both – usually both, now) and find the other man absent.

He wasn’t sure if it bothered him because he was afraid Qrow was going to get hurt or simply because he missed his best friend being, well, _around_.

“Hey, this is a fourth-year mission.” Qrow defended.

“Yeah, but Professor Port knows we’re underage. He’s not going to leave clues at the bar.” Tai sighed, taking the bottle all the same, finding it mostly full. After a quiet debate, he shrugged his shoulders – why the hell not – and took a deep swig of the amber drink.

It had been a bit of a surprise when Ozpin had approached them in the hall and offered them clearance on the ‘Information Gathering in Mistral’ assignment. He’d explained that he’d been impressed with their progress in school and that they were clearly ready for something more complicated. Overall, the goal was clear: One of the Huntsman from Beacon was set to hide out somewhere in the massive metropolis, posing as a criminal that they were only given brief bits of data about. They had a week to gather enough information to locate him, but they could easily fail if they did anything that would tip off their “felon” that they were looking for him.

Since Tai was the only one to grow up in a large city that he’d often had to remain undetected in, the mission was actually well matched for him. He’d already had everyone switch into clothes more like the locale wore so they would blend in better and found places that wanderers tended to reside in. The twins had both the best eyes and sharp intuition about whether someone was lying or not, while Summer was good at keeping potential people of interest at ease as she got them to talk with her.

Tomorrow, they were supposed to follow the leads given to them from a homeless man who stuck out just a bit too much in the crowd.

Now, if only he could focus on that.

“Guess I should have listened to you.” Tai mumbled, slouching over some.

“The day I give sound advice on relationships is the day the world explodes.” Qrow threw an arm over the back of the bench, tilting his head towards him. “You two were going strong for a while there. If anything, I’d say the guy’s an idiot for walking out.”

Tai blinked away another rush of emotion, trying to drown it back with another long drink.

“Hey uh,” His friend struggled, foot tapping a nervous rhythm on the ground, “Look I’m not well-equipped for this sort of stuff but if you need like a hug or something…”

He shook his head. “It’s alright. Can’t say I didn’t see it coming. We’d been fighting a lot lately but I was kinda hoping some distance would help and we’d patch it over when I got back.” He scowled down at the device before roughly shoving it into his pocket and out of his sight. “Guess he made his own decision.”

It wasn’t his first break-up; far from it, really. He’d been in and out of relationships shortly after the victory at the tournament opened them up to the social map at the academy. But the one with Edgar Clyne, which had started about two weeks into the beginning of third year, had been the first he could rightfully call long term. In fact, they weren’t far off from their six-month anniversary.

He was… he was going to take him to the aquatic exhibit. Edgar loved aquariums.

“Tai?”

He looked up at Qrow, vision blurring.

“Yeah,” He held up his arms invitingly. “Get over here.”

Later, he’d feel a bit ridiculous, sobbing into his best friend’s shoulder over a jerk who had demanded they keep their relationship secret for the first three months they had been together and then didn’t even have the decency or courage to break up with him person.

But later wasn’t now. Now, everything hurt.

And Qrow, for all of his emotional ineptness, at least knew how to give a really strong hug.

When both the tears and the bottle had run dry, they took to wandering the town, no set destination in mind but eventually finding themselves scaling up a large, stone staircase that lead to a look-out spot. From there, they could see the moonlit homes of downtown Mistral spread before them. Lights were spread unevenly in homes where not everyone had yet to go to bed and lamps strung on wires weaved through the market, highlighting vendors too stubborn to turn in before earning another lien. Further beyond were the darkened ridges of the mountainside and the faint reflections of waterfalls. Tai imagined that during the day, this sight must be truly beautiful but most of it was hidden under the shadows of the night. Perhaps they’d get a chance to come up here during the afternoon or, if they were lucky, to see it from the upper levels when the fog still clung to the hills during the dawn, bathing the world in a misty undertone and shades of color hued by a slowly rising sun.

Rather then stare at the town, he turned his eyes to the sky, admiring the broken moon and scattered stars. Beside him, Qrow hopped up onto the wooden railing, swinging his legs over the side that dropped down into a steep crag. He spared him a glance. “Hey, Master of Misfortune. You sure that’s a good idea to sit there like that?” 

“Eh, you’ll catch me.”

He would, but that really wasn’t the point. Just as he thought to tell him so, a buzzing from his scroll grabbed his attention, heart jumping into his throat. After a moment of unease, he took a slow breath and pulled it out of his pocket, reading the new message there.

“The jackass again?”

“No. Just Summer, wondering where I am.” He typed a reply and then a second one to let her know he was with Qrow. Once he’d read her response, composed more of smiley faces than anything else, he put the device away, leaning heavily on the railing and sighing. “Even if I don’t answer the entire trip, Edgar’s probably not going to bother messaging me again.” Saying that aloud made his chest feel tight again.

“Then forget him.” Qrow said, slapping his shoulder lightly. “Seriously, he’s not worth it.”

“Easier said then done.” Tai grumbled back.

“Yeah, guess for you it is.”

“What’s _that_ mean?”

His friend held up his hands in a gesture of peace, quickly grabbing onto the railing again when he started to sway. “Nothing just, you’re so emotionally involved.”

He stared up at him, honestly baffled. “Qrow, how do you think falling in love works?”

“I don’t. I just have fun.” Whatever expression he had must have made his thoughts on the matter completely transparent, because Qrow quickly added, “Look man, being on the level with you and Summer is hard enough. But the idea of getting even _closer_ to someone? I can’t even wrap my head around that.” He looked away, tacking on bitterly, “And that’s not even factoring in the Class A disaster my semblance is.”

Tai frowned. “So, if the perfect girl suddenly came up to you and wanted to be with you forever, you’d just let her walk away because you don’t want to be a little vulnerable?”

“Hey, who said it had to be a girl? Judgmental much?”

Oh.

Well, that didn’t surprise him as much as it should of. “You’re avoiding the question.” When a shrug was his only answer, he nudged him gently with his elbow. “You know, you don’t have to be strong all the time.”

“Tch.” He glared into the darkness. “Try telling my upbringing that. It was always, ‘Only the weak feel’ and ‘showing emotions will get you killed’.”

“You’re not dying now, are you?” Tai countered. “Whatever happened to living instead of surviving?”

Qrow flicked him on the side of his head. “There’s gotta be a rule against using my own epiphanies against me.”

“I’m just saying, it’s not all that terrible.”

“Says the guy who was a blubbering mess ten minutes ago.”

If the other hadn’t been sitting so precariously, Tai might have punched him. Instead, he turned away, looking straight down the ridge. “Yeah well, you’re not entirely wrong about me either.” He clasped his hands together. “Growing up, all I really knew was what being alone was like. The only people who wanted anything to do me were the hobos in the park and the occasional restaurant manager looking for some cheap labor. So when I finally left and got to Signal, _finally_ made my first friend, I realized how much I never wanted to be alone ever again.” He shut his eyes, sighing. “But, Signal wasn’t really like Beacon. Classes changed every year. Friends did too. And that _crushed_ me. It felt like I was being abandoned over and over. And every time I would recover I’d tell myself not to get so invested next time. But it was like a bad habit. When I decide to, whether it be with a friend or whatever, I throw myself all in. It’s all I ever really had to give anyways.”

Qrow hummed softly, something thoughtful in his gaze as he asked, “How attached are you to the team?”

Tai rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his cheeks dust with embarrassment as he looked up at him. “You guys are my whole world.”

His friend whistled lowly. “Oh boy.”

“Yeah. It’s bad.”

“Well,” There was a grunt as he swung his legs round, hopping down from the railing. “Not so sure about that. But I sure as sugar know if it had been solely on Raven and I, this team wouldn’t’a lasted a week.”

“That’s why it’s called a _team_ effort. We all make it work, together.”

“Still.” He snorted. “Don’t know how you and Summer handle us.”

Though he hoped it was mostly the alcohol talking, something about the way Qrow said that worried him or what it might imply about his friend’s insecure and sometimes fragile mentality. “Just because you guys aren’t always the easiest to get along with, doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.”

Qrow ran a hand through his hair, his turn to be embarrassed. “Heh, I don’t have enough drinks in me for this.”

“Too bad. You’re not getting any more.” Tai threw an arm over his shoulders, leading him back towards the stairs. “How about we head back to our temporary home away from home and play some space destroyer instead?”

“Yeah.” Qrow mimicked the gesture. “Sounds good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Team JSPR = Jasper. 
> 
> Tai’s weapon, Draokinum Morder is meant to translate to ‘Dragon’s Bite’. 
> 
> Edgar Clyne’s name comes from a cline fish – a ‘shallow’ water fish.
> 
> This chapter is also where I first started using ‘Tai-guy’ as Qrow’s ridiculous nickname for Tai. I haven’t used it in many other stories, but it’s still my favorite. ‘Firework’ is a fun secondary. As a side note ‘Flowerbud’ for Summer also began in this tale.
> 
> By the way, the reason Tai was so intent on only eight puppies is because eight is a lucky number in China. When eight is spoken in Chinese, it sounds the same way as one would say 'to prosper'. Equally, the way the kanji is written also looks like ‘joy’.


	3. Act Two: Year Four: ...First You Must Take Risks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I must greatly apologize for the delay in this chapter's release. I kept writing pieces of a scene in this one that, ultimately, I dropped for it's overall irrelevancy. 
> 
> Also, not sure whether to be proud or not that I've given Tai the exact same semblance that Maria now canonically has. Ironically, in another story, I gave Tai a mimic of what Mercury's dad's semblance is too. I'm apparently really good at picking these things!

The truth of the matter was, it was midway through fourth year that Taiyang developed his actual feelings for Raven and decided it was time to do something about it.

He did so by endlessly prattling on about it to Summer.

“You know, you could ask her to the dance.” She said, flipping the page of her textbook.

For a moment, his mind got away from him, imagining Raven in a ballroom-style dress, maybe a halter top or something strapless (though who was he kidding, he knew she’d wear her normal clothes and still be the most fabulous person in the room), taking his arm as he led her – or more than likely she led him – onto the dance floor.

The idea was as thrilling as a dream, because he knew it’s all it would be. “I don’t really think a dance is her kind of thing though.”

“You never know. Maybe she just hasn’t gone to them because no one’s asked her.”

He gave her a suspicious look. “Do you know something I don’t know?”

“No,” She peered over at him, tapping her pencil on the table. “But, I do know no one has ever asked. Everyone thinks she’s a little… scary.” Taiyang covered his laugh with a cough. Yeah, he could see why people might feel that way. “I may have also asked her how she felt about dating the other day. And she certainly isn’t appalled by it, as long as she can stand the guy – which, for the record, you are one of the very few in that category.”

Realization hit him like a truck and he grinned widely. “Summer, have you been wing-womaning things for me?”

“ _Yes!_ ” She flicked his nose with the eraser-end of her pencil. “So go ask her you big, dumb idiot!”

He laughed, rubbing the spot. “Have I ever told you you’re the best?”

“Yes, but you can certainly tell me more often.” She replied with a curt nod. “But seriously Tai, go for it. I really think you have a shot.”

He swallowed, nerves coiling up in his stomach, palms starting to sweat. But really, what did he have to lose by trying? “Okay,” He said, and then again with more confidence, “Okay! I can do this.”

“After training. Tomorrow.”

“T-Tomorrow?!”

She shot him one of her patented ‘Do it or die’ looks.

“Yeah, tomorrow!” Tai nodded quickly. “I’ll just go up and ask her and it’ll be great!” It’ll be a  _disaster_.

“Good!” Summer said with a bright smile, before turning back to her essay. She placed the lead back to the page, but she didn’t write anything for a long moment, before she sighed out softly. “Can I tell you something? Something kind of stupid?”

Pulling his mind out of his internal panic by that almost melancholy tone, he turned his full attention to his leader. “Of course.”

She sat there, just staring at the table. When she finally spoke, her voice was very soft, “I’m actually a little jealous.”

Huh? “Of?” He broached tentatively, unsure he liked where this might be going. So, what she said next definitely surprised him.

“When I was little, I read a lot of fairytales. My favorites were always the ones about the characters who fall in love and who go through so much to keep that love in their lives. And I know a lot of it’s silly and unrealistic – like, really, a kiss saving the day? Falling in love at first sight? It’s total nonsense. But, still. I admire it.” Summer placed her hand in her chin, smile almost dreamlike. “There’s something about the idea of being so dedicated to another person’s happiness and they yours, that just… resonates with me.” She turned her head, smiling towards him. “So when I see you talk about Raven the way you do, it makes me really happy. But also a little jealous, because I kind of want something like that for me too, you know?”

“Why would I find that stupid? It’s natural to want a companion.”

“Well that’s not the stupid thing.” She said rolling her eyes and huffing a loud sigh. “The stupid thing is I am twenty years old and I have never even had a  _crush_  before. So, what an ironic twist it is I’m enamored by true love while my personal attraction to another human being is more broken than the moon.” The last bit came out a little bitter, before she mumbled, “I’ve never even been on a date before. How pathetic is that?”

Tai processed the new information curiously, adding it to the mental list of _Weird Things Team STRQ has in Common_ , right under the subcategory of ‘romantic disasters’ and slotting nicely in-between Raven’s unapproachability, Qrow’s resistance to emotional involvement and his own overzealousness of it.  He was starting to wonder if the four of them were in fact the most successful band of socially incapable people on all of Remnant.

That was perhaps why, without thinking, he blurted out, “Do you want to go on one?”

Summer gaped. “Come again?”

Mind finally catching up with his mouth, he looked away, certain he was turning beet red as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I-I mean, it’s just, maybe you’re just… scared? And maybe if you went with someone you trusted it would, warm you up to the idea?”

“That,” She replied in slow, calculated measure, “is the craziest idea I’ve ever heard.”

He stared hard at the tabletop. “Yeah, I-”

“Let’s do it!”

“-guess it was – Wait, _what?!_ ”

“Let’s do it. Tonight. Seven’s a good, cliched time, right?” Summer snapped her textbook closed and got to her feet, looking like she was gearing up to go into battle, not on a romantic excursion. “Taiyang Xiao Long, I’m not a lady to be trifled with! So, you better make this the night of my life!”

“Uh, r-right.” He watched her take her leave, wondering if that all just really happened.

He was still wondering it when, hours later, he had his arm linked with Summer’s as he led her across the grassy field of their old training grounds. There were still scars all around from the many sparring matches they’d held out here; patches of missing grass, raised up earth, and carved up tree trunks just some of the visible damage able to be seen clearly in the fading sunlight. If he looked closely, he could even see the grooved-in circlet that had once been his goal line for his semblance training. A line he’d not only met but exceeded far past. It was amazing what he could do with sheer determination.

And his team turning him into target practice.

Though his heart beat with nostalgia, Tai focused on the present, pulling away from Summer to set down the basket he had brought, plucking out the blanket. He laid it out and smoothed any bumps, unsure if it was his natural hyperawareness or nerves that made him so conscious of her eyes following his every movement. It was just _Summer_ for maiden’s sake. Summer, who planted her presence like a seed and blossomed into a heavy warmth that gently ensnared those around her. Summer, who fought her nature to root herself firmly as a leader and encouraging those around her to grow with brilliant vibrancy like she herself did.

Summer, whose careful observance of her teammates never faltered, even in this situation. “Maybe we should just go back.”

Or, he thought as he watched her rock on her heels, maybe she was just hoping for an excuse. “No way.” He said, getting to his feet. “I promised you a date and that is precisely what I’m going to give you.”

“Yeah but, this is starting to feel a little silly, isn’t it?” She pressed a thumb under her bottom lip, inches from smearing the red lipstick she had chosen to wear for the occasion. It matched well with her dress, which boasted a vibrant black leaf design against a white background, trimmed at the ends with a red petticoat meant to draw eyes to her slim legs and white, lace-up high heels.

The only thing that was silly was that no one had yet stopped to tell Summer just how gorgeous she was. She deserved someone who would. And if what he did tonight helped her find her confidence to start searching for her true love story, then he had to give her his level best.

“Not at all.” He said, taking her hand in his and bowing at his waist, trying to put as much charm as he imagined her storybook heroes had as he beseeched, “Mi’lady, there is no greater joy I could imagine than you doing me the honor of having dinner with me tonight.”

Catching on quick, Summer hid a giggle behind her hand. “With such flattery on your tongue, how can I deny such a request?”

“Ah, but is it truly flattery when the remark is sincere?” Tai carried on, guiding her to sit upon the blanket.

“Or perhaps,” She arched a brow at him as he joined her, “You’re merely a clever rascal looking to hitch up my knickers.”

He mock gasped, placing a hand to his heart. “Not I! I would never dare be so discourteous, especially not to a lady as fair as you.” He grinned, leaning towards her a bit. “Though, the comment would be quite accurate if you were with Sir Qrow this fine evening instead.”

Summer couldn’t contain herself, falling against his shoulder as she laughed. “Oh, that was terrible!”

“But not wrong.” He laughed with her, setting the basket before them. That was all it took to break the anxious energy between them, and things quickly fell into a more familiar pace as they carried on conversations about classwork, the upcoming festival, the missions they hoped to get assigned now that they were fourth years. Though they were alone and a little more gussied up than usual, it felt just like any of the other thousand meals they’d shared together. And when the sky was overtaken by stars and the evening chilled with autumn’s advance, they packed up and called it a night.

As they came to the courtyard, Tai looked to her. “So, how was your first date ever? Was it everything you imagined?”

“Maybe not _everything_ I imagined, but it was fun.” She conceded.

“Ah, come on. The only thing I was missing was the kiss at the end!”

Her nose wrinkled a bit. “Ew.”

Taiyang snorted softly, stepping back a few paces so he could bow again, holding his hand out towards her. “However, I dare say that is too bold for one so refined, so will you settle for one on the hand, mi’lady?”

Her delicate fingers laid across his palm as she regained her embellished tone. “I shall bequeath this request, my dear gentleman.”

“Ah, such a graceful rose you are! To have even this from one such as you is truly fortuitous.” He told her, dropping his lips to the back of her hand.

He couldn’t even keep up the act for a second before they were both dissolving into laughter once more, their cheerfulness following them as they headed back to the room.

* * *

Tai jolted awake to the shrill shriek of a ringing alarm. Feeling disoriented and confused as the strobe in their room chased shadows along the ceiling, he glanced around. Through the small gap between the curtains, he could see that the sky just starting to lighten, the sun having yet to rise. Summer was curled up on her side, her pillow folded over her head in her best attempt to block out the noise. Raven had sat up, her hair a tangled mess around her as it often was in the morning, but it didn’t quite block out the disgruntled scowl she gave to the nether space around her.

On the bed next to his, Qrow pulled his covers up over his head and groaned, “Shut up will ya?”

He couldn’t help but agree as he threw an arm over his eyes. Why were they doing a practice drill right now?

At least the twins reacted better to them then they used to. Oh boy had that been a doozy of an experience. Many hours were spent searching for them after the two had just up and bolted, disappearing before they could even think to explain. It was Professor Ozpin who found them, hiding up in the turning gears above his office. Apparently, they had been trying to breach through his computer security to try and figure out what the threat was and how to escape. (How they thought that plan was going to pan out successfully was beyond him, considering at the time Tai was still teaching them how to use their scrolls.) Their headmaster, easygoing as he often was, just laughed the whole thing off and gave them detention, telling the duo that next time they tried to escape Vale, he hoped that they’d at least take the other half of their team with them.

“We better-” Raven was yelling, when the siren suddenly stopped, leaving the click-click-click of the still-functioning strobe as the only noise left. “…Get up?”

There was a collective sigh of relief.

And then Ozpin’s voice came in over the intercom.

“Students, this is not a drill.”

Tai almost gave himself whiplash sitting up so fast, heart suddenly in his throat.

“As I speak, a swarm of Grimm are making their way down the mountains. I ask everyone to remain calm. I repeat, remain calm. You all have ten minutes to get outfitted and report to the auditorium for further instruction. That is all.”

They all sat there, struck in stunned silence, as the weight of the announcement settled onto their shoulders. And then, as if they were a collective brain, the room was a flurry of motion as they jumped out of bed and hurried to get ready. It would have felt a lot like as if they had slept in too late, had they been talking more, and they were getting into their uniforms rather than their combat clothes. Shouts and stomps of other students hurrying down the halls carried into their dorm room.

“Check on your Dust!” Summer ordered, snapping the canister back into one of her whips before winding it into the holder on her belt. “Tai?”

“Locked and loaded.” He replied, tying the laces of his combat boots.

“Raven?”

“I’m good.” She said as she walked out of the bathroom they shared with the dorm next door.

The sight of her made him pause. “Uh, your hair.”

“What about it?” She asked defensively, pushing aside an erratic strand that didn’t quite get bundled into the rest of the ponytail, pulled up much higher than her usual style.

He ducked his head back to his shoes to hide his face that was turning red. “Nothing! Just, you should wear it like that more.” His semblance jittered and, thankful for the distraction, snapped, “Qrow, the lamp!”

There was a curse, Qrow just barely able to catch the light by it’s shade. He carefully untangled the wire from around his foot and set it down, before starting to pace again. Stress lined his forehead and knotted his shoulder blades. It was hard to tell if he was thinking of all the things that could go wrong by chance or all the things that _would_ go wrong with him there. “Are you guys done yet?”

 “Yep!” Summer said, bouncing a bit on her heels fervently, a complete opposite to how she had been last night. It would be strange to say she looked eager, but Tai knew that’s exactly what she was. He still wasn’t entirely sure if it was a dare-devil’s complex or maybe that she was an adrenalin junkie, but after fighting alongside her for so long he understood the petite woman practically lived for being on a battlefield.

In contrast to her, Raven merely gave an affirmative hum as she placed Bloodlust against her side, looking like the epitome of calm indifference. She had a philosophy about how controlling emotions could control a situation – especially when it came to Grimm. She wasn’t wrong, either, and he’d be lying if he didn’t say it made him a little envious over how effortlessly she accomplished it.

Tai wasn’t sure what he looked like, but his heart certainly hadn’t stopped trying to practice its own drum solo. He tugged at the last knot on his laces before getting to his feet. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

As they hurried down the hall, it was hard not to feel the pressing dismay that hung in the air. They passed a pair of third-year students waiting outside their door, whispering about what had caused the outbreak, and had to carefully shuffle around a second-year sitting on the carpet as he gathered some scattered dust crystals he must have dropped. It was when they passed Team TEEL that Tai slowed a bit, staring at the back of a familiar blue-haired student.

“Lacey! We need to go!” Edgar was calling into their room, hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of his chainsaw-sword.

“No! I don’t want to!” His teammate wailed.

The man gave a noise of frustration, turning away from the door. Their eyes met and Tai nearly stopped, if not for the sudden hands on his back shoving him forward.

“Come on!” Qrow growled and, from the disgruntled expression that played across Edgar’s face, probably shot a rude gesture his way.

The auditorium was no better than the dorms. The tall ceilings seemed to increase the echo of everyone’s frantic voices that only raised in octaves as each new team arrived. The loudest of all was the fast-paced gibberish from one of the freshman; an eccentric, slightly annoying kid whose name was Bart or something like that. As Tai scanned the crowd, he noticed the entirety of Beacon’s facility stood on the stage, Ozpin in the center, his expression unreadable from this distance. Besides all the auditory and visual information, his semblance was also feeding him a lot of intel. He could accurately point out where a team huddled against the wall was. Could see without spotting the student that was loading their shotgun. Could feel it coming as a cane lifted up off the stage floor – so he didn’t flinch when it came slamming back down with a powerful, cracking sound that boomed like thunder across the room.

It did its job, silencing the entire floor as they all looked towards their headmaster.

“I believe my exact orders were to stay calm, was it not?” Ozpin said. “To fall to panic now will only diminish our control over the situation.”

Standing shoulder to shoulder with her, Tai didn’t miss the way Raven crossed her arms and smugly smirked. Had the situation been less dire, he may have laughed.

“True Huntsman do not falter; we rise up to defend those in need.” The headmaster continued. “However, if any of you wish to withdraw from the coming fight, then do so now. There will be no consequences for abstaining. But, I will warn you: if any of you retreat on the field, you’re future at this school and any other will be permanently eliminated. So, chose wisely.”

A hush fell and Tai didn’t have to look around, sensing each and every one of them as they left. The huddling team was first. Then, one by one, others followed, until the room was a third more empty then it had been. A glance behind him confirmed Lacey had been one of them and he felt a bit bad for Edgar who appeared lost without his partner. He didn’t need to spare the same look to his own team, none of them having so much as twitched.

He turned back to Ozpin.

No one else moved.

“Very well. Let us begin preparations.” The headmaster nodded to Glynda.

She walked forward and held up her ScrollPad, tapping a few buttons, and an enlarged photo of Beacon’s surrounding area lit up on the wall behind her. The area in the mountains had marks of red on the northeastern side where the Forever Fall Forest was. “As many of you may recall, this area used to be a manmade path through the mountains for the agricultural trade route, but with the innovation of flight, was closed off to deter wandering Grimm. At around three this morning, there was a landslide which caused the collapse of those old fortifiers. And the noise drew in a great deal of Grimm.”

“At first,” Ozpin continued, “Defenses responded and everything appeared under control. But we got word less than an hour ago that the situation has escalated and pre-evacuation measures are already being taken for the surrounding areas. Any nearby off-duty Huntsman have been called to arms. As have we. Our mission today is to eliminate as much of the threat as possible before it can do severe harm to Vale’s citizens.”

“We’ve separated units based upon which year you are in. Each battalion will have one to two professors assigned with you.” Glynda adjusted her glasses, before tapping a few more buttons to now show a list of the professors and what years were to obey them. “You are all to listen to their commands without question. They’ll go over more in detail about each specific assignment.” She pointed her whip to the far left of the back of the auditorium. As she did, the rest of the facility started to leave the stage to head in those directions. “First years, to this corner. Second years to that opposite one. Third years, over here. And fourth years, here.”

The room was suddenly in motion as everyone headed for their appointed spot. Tai followed after his team to the fourth year’s side when a voice booming over the microphone halted them.

“Team STRQ!” They all looked back to the stage where Ozpin still stood, waving to them. “With me.”

He and the rest of his team shared glances of befuddlement but started for the stage, mostly disregarding other students’ curious looks and whispers. It was hard to miss the “Go make history, ladies and gents!” as they passed Bart on the way towards the stairs. The twins ignored him but Summer chirped her thanks while Tai offered him a nod, honestly surprised the nervous-seeming kid was still in the room.

They headed backstage, the sounds of the auditorium fading further as Ozpin lead them into the green room. Tai had only been in it once before, but he still recognized the small space full of chairs, long counters and large-sized dressing room mirrors framed by yellowed bulbs. All third-year teams had to do a stage-scale educational presentation for the younger grades as their final project; they had chosen to talk about scavenging techniques. Safe to say, between Raven’s total disinterest and Summer’s crippling stage fright, he and Qrow did most of the talking. Though not much of a performer, per say, Tai found he’d truly enjoyed the experience of getting a chance to spread some tips to his fellow classmates, never realizing his days of rummaging through trash cans would actually be able to benefit anyone.

“Professor, what is this about?” Summer asked.

The fond nostalgia was quickly bled over by the prominence of the current situation as Ozpin faced them, expression ominous. “Are any of you familiar with this Grimm species?”

It was only then that Tai realized Ozpin must have taken Glynda’s ScrollPad as he held it up for them to see. Upon it was a picture of a creature he’d never seen before. At first, it was so white he almost didn’t believe it to be a Grimm, if not for the telltale glowing red eyes. The beast was canine in nature, with three-heads protruding from the front of its body and spikes running down it’s spine, all the way to the tip of it’s a long, spade-ended tail. Each head had large, sharp teeth and curving goat-like horns.

“It’s a Hellhound.” Raven spoke up, eyeing the picture carefully. “Our people would trade stories about it. It’s said to have so much armor, that it has no weak spots and so gluttonous it could eat an entire village within minutes. It’s _supposed_ to be just a legend.” She looked piercingly towards their headmaster. “But I have a feeling you’re about to tell us it’s not.”

“Precisely.” He set the device on the nearby counter, saying, “This Grimm has been lying dormant in one of the caves in the Emerald Forest for twenty years now. We’ve monitored it very closely for any activity since it was discovered. But, all the disorder has roused it. It’s on the move and heading our way.”

Qrow jerked forward a step, barking out sharply, “ _What?_ That thing’s an Alpha Prime! It’s going to draw every Grimm in the whole damn forest this way!”

Tai swallowed hard, envisioning the total chaos the battlefield would dissolve into as their squads valiantly fought off the numerous Grimm coming from the north, only to have another massive hoard coming in from behind, led by this hellish beast. “It’ll be a massacre.” He whispered.

The headmaster’s eyes shut briefly, before he nodded. “Yes.” He focused on them again. “Which is why it needs to be led from here at all costs.” He crossed hands over the top of his cane. “I would not normally ask students to take upon such a dangerous task, but my options are spread thin and of all the teams I can trust to succeed, yours is the only with the skills necessary. But, know if you take on this task, there won’t be any aid to provide for it.”

Summer inhaled slowly before taking a few steps forward. “Trust me, sir. We won’t need it. Just tell us what to do.”

It was only thirty minutes later that Tai found himself standing on the mountain ridge, the whirring of the receding helicopter loud in the air as it left them behind. He stared out at the forest before him, scanning it carefully for movement of their target. Over the past four years, he’d been in the forest dozens of times for training exercises and missions. A couple of times, he’d even camped out there with Qrow and Raven. Seeing as they had no real homes to go back to, they were allowed to stay at the school during breaks. They found that exploring the forest and taking on the occasional Grimm broke up the monotony of being stuck in the dorms, just waiting for the next semester to start.

To think something like an Alpha Prime Grimm was lurking in the shadows the whole time was unsettling.

“So,” Qrow said, stomping his foot down on one of the many metal plates that had been implanted in the ground. “This is one of the launching pads, right?”

“Yes.” Summer replied, pulling up the program that had been installed on her Scroll to activate the spring-loaded platforms. “I heard rumors Ozpin is going to start using them for initiation. Throw all the new kids into the forest and make them find each other.”

“So they’re getting rid of the maze?” Tai asked.

“Yeah. Apparently they’re tearing it down to expand the city.”

Qrow snorted some, saying with a grin, “Tai probably made it too structurally unsound for them to keep using it.”

“Ha, ha. You’re hilarious.” He replied. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but feel a little sad. The mile-long maze had been part of his own initiation after all and it was strange to think it was just going to be gone forever. The large, concrete infrastructure had multiple starting points for each student to start at, forcing them to use their wit and memory to find their way to the center. There was an invisible ceiling that, if someone attempted to cheat and go over, would deliver a nasty shock. Full of traps both Grimm and otherwise lurking around every corner, not to mention dozens of dead ends, it had certainly been challenging.

For… some people.

Namely him.

Tai still remembered the yell of rage he had given when he hit his fifth dead end in a row and, frustrated beyond belief, started bashing _through_ the walls to get to the goal. Looking back, it wasn’t his proudest moment; yet, he certainly couldn’t say he entirely regretted his actions. It was with that method he’d crossed paths with Qrow, forever sealing their fate as partners. Equally, he couldn’t question his luck that he’d picked up the key ‘relic’ that opened up the music box ‘relic’ Summer had chosen, further cementing the remainder of their team.

“Alright,” Raven spoke up. “So all we need to do is vault one of us into the forest to find our target and I’ll bring us together. Probably should be Qrow, since he has the best eyesight. Next to mine, that is.”

Her brother scoffed. “Just had to add that, didn’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Or,” Their leader stepped in to refute, “We could all launch ourselves so each of us can get a lay of the land.”

Not fooled for a second, she placed a hand on her hip, giving her partner a knowing look. “You just want to try it out, don’t you?”

Summer’s eyes _glittered_. “Eeeee!”

“Fine.” Raven made a big show of rolling her eyes, but she was smiling. After all, no force in the world could truly deny that excited face.

Too bad it didn’t work on Grimm.

Still, it wasn’t a poor idea, and soon enough they were all standing on one of the platforms, each of them a good distance apart to make the most of their range. Tai planted his left foot back, crouching a bit. He glanced towards Raven who was at the end of the line, her knees bent in preparation as she stared steadily in front of her.

“Okay Rae, ready?” Summer called from the other end of the line.

“Ready!” There was a sound similar to a gunshot as the springboard went off. While most other people would look like they had been flung, she _flew_. No fear, no inelegance, as if the sky was at her command.

He admired her for several long seconds as she seemed to become the bird she was named for, when he heard, “Tai?”

His fingers clenched into fists as he lowered himself a few inches more, grinning. “Go for it!”

The sudden blast of g-forces surrounded him as he was vaulted, his stomach dropping out and leaving a tingling sensation along his skin. The rush of adrenalin was a thrill and he couldn’t help the breathless whoop that left him as wind whipped around him like a gale. Still, he didn’t forget why he was up here as he looked over the sea of green rapidly speeding underneath him. And – there! Just over the hills, something white and towering was moving through the trees. That had to be it.

Mission accomplished, he focused on his landing, flipping in the air so he came down feet first. It was only seconds later he impacted with his first tree, the top of the thinned-out tree snapping under him instantly. It burnt a lot of force through his defensive aura that ached through his legs, but he didn’t falter, shifting his weight so his treetop grazed along the trunk of another tree rather then outright slamming into it. Letting his semblance guide him, he used his weight and gravity to sled along the surrounding trees, heart rushing with excitement.

Man, he should get a skateboard. This was awesome!

A screech along his senses told him he was heading right for large branch, and he jumped off, letting his makeshift board shatter into oblivion. He reached out and caught another branch going down, palms digging into bark as he swung around it twice like a trapeze artist, before letting go on the full rotation. He hit the forest floor in a roll that he quickly followed the momentum of to reel back to his feet.

He was just brushing off the wood dust from his hands when a telltale hum filled the air. He turned to see Raven walking from her portal, looking no worse for wear.

“Have fun?” She asked.

He was still grinning like a maniac. “Hell yeah! Kind of wish we could do it again.” He winked, jabbing his thumb towards the west. “Spotted our target too.”

“Well, it’s certainly a relief that you aren’t blind.”

“Hey!”

She chuckled, swiping out her sword. “Come on. Qrow’s landed.”

They found him standing rather proud in his clearing, scythe balanced against his shoulder and the destruction in the form of a clear, diagonal path of sliced through trees behind him would have made Paul Bunyon himself weep tears of joy. “Gotta say, flowerbud has some good plans sometimes.” He said.

Another portal, and they met up with Summer. She was hanging from the branches of a trees, holding onto her whips like a monkey dangling from its vines. As she spotted them, she kicked her legs out, proclaiming loudly, “Best. Idea. Ever!”

“No, that award goes to the creation of fire.” Raven snarked. “Though I guess this could be a close second.”

“Actually, it might be the idea that you think you have a sense of humor.” Qrow said, ducking the swipe of her hand.

“Whoa, cool down Rae. Don’t get so fired up.” Tai added, hopping back to dodge his own strike.

As she laughed at them, Summer swung her body forward. With a yank of her whips, they unwound from the wood and she landed on the ground. Another turn of her wrists had the weapons winding up easily into loose coils around her hands as she walked over to join them. “So,” She started, “Our target’s a few miles west of here. We’re going to have to move fast if we want to intercept it.”

“I saw something else.” Qrow said, pointing further southwest. “The Shen-Guang ruins.”

“Really?” Tai asked. They’d looked for it on a few previous trips out here, hoping to pick through the ruins to find something of interest, but they’d never managed to find it.

“Pretty sure. Falling apart towers. Lots of fancy arches. Large, cult-level prayer circles. Fit the bill of super old and repulsively religious.”

Their leader hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her thumb. “That’s a good place to trap our puppy. There’s a gigantic chasm there.”

“Too bad we can’t get him to fetch. Would make this a piece of cake.” Tai bemoaned.

“Don’t be so sure.” Raven said, glancing his way. “We could throw you.”

He snickered, pointing back at her. “Hey, that one was pretty good.”

“Of course the _dog_ joke would get you.”

“What can I say? I’m paws-itively predictable.” He laughed as she managed to smack his shoulder this time.

A throat loudly clearing drew their attention. Tai practically burnt into ashes under Summer’s smoldering gaze but even Qrow’s weirded-out look left him feeling anxious. Shit, he had been flirting, hadn’t he?

“ANYways, we better get moving.” Their leader said, thankfully acting as if nothing had happened – though as they started to run through the forest, she did make sure to give him another look that reminded him of yesterday’s promise.

The nervous turn of his stomach quickly made him concentrate on the mission at hand instead.

As per usual, Tai took lead. In an open field, his radius would have meant nothing. The Grimm would spot them well before his hyperawareness registered it. But in a forest, with plenty of coverage to keep them out of predators’ sights, he could use it to its fullest effect, sprinting several paces ahead of the rest as he used his semblance like a radar, both to avoid Qrow’s pitfall of misfortune and any confrontations. On smaller missions, it was usually not a big deal for them to dispatch a few strays, but today they were going to need every ounce of energy and dust they had, so he was even more precise than usual as he gave each nearby Grimm a wide berth.

For the first few miles, that worked like a charm; but as they drew near enough to hear the lumbering noises of something large moving through the forest, Tai could feel Grimm closing in from either side. He looked back and pointed towards the trees, and they were all quick to scurry themselves up onto the branches, hiding in the shadows.

He waved Summer over and she was quick to jump to him, the branch shaking under her added weight. He leant close to whisper, “Seems like the cavalry’s already arrived.”

“Well, onto Plan: Dynamite Diversion, then.” She looked back, signaling to Qrow to keep an eye on their target. He nodded, disappearing up the tree with as much grace and swiftness as a leopard. She gestured to Raven next, the other twin giving a nod of understanding. Before she jumped down, Summer pat his arm, “You two keep each other safe. We’ll be back soon.”

“You too.” He returned, watching the two women leap to the forest floor, hurrying back the way they’d come. Once they were out of view, Tai started to climb further up into the oak’s branches until he found a suitable perch halfway up, able to keep both Qrow and the ground in view. His partner was precariously balanced on the more fragile branches of the treetop, completely motionless in his vigil.

Yet even he had to flinch when, ten minutes later, a thunderous noise split the air and shook the trees around them. They both glanced back, seeing the results of the girls’ efforts in the smoke and fire that now alit the woods about a mile and a half away. Tai was still watching, even when he heard the almost mechanical howl of Raven’s portal opening beside him. He shifted sideways, giving the two room as they settled down on the branch beside him. In the corner of his eye, he could see Qrow dropping down to better hide in the thicker growth as they heard the snarls and wails of charging Grimm.

Tai held onto the branch, feeling how it trembled under his fingertips, focusing not on the flood of black streaming underneath them, but on his own slow, measured breathes which helped in keeping his mind calm and his emotions unfettered. They couldn’t afford an ill thought. Though mindless in their pursuit, one negative spike was all it would take to summon the beasts’ attention.

Or, he thought as he felt the telltale prickling of his semblance, just a stroke of bad luck.

A Nevermore flying overhead gave an alarmed caw when a Griffon suddenly rocketed into its flight path, forcing the bird to cant left. Its razor-sharp wings clipped right through a series of branches, scattering the ground-based Grimm below as they tried to avoid the falling debris. One of which, a large Nashorn, slammed right through the tree Tai and the girls were hiding in. Under the rhino’s might, the trunk splintered immediately.

As he got enough of his bearings to curl his legs up against the branch and leap up into the air alongside his teammates, he felt his stomach drop out for a second time that day when gravity forced him down to the forest floor and right into the oncoming stampede.

Summer’s whips cracked through the air alongside her voice, “Star-crossed!”

The direction was all Tai needed, smacking his hand against the disc of earth dust in his gauntlet as he angled himself to land atop an on-coming beowolf’s head. Raven landed on another’s while Summer used her whip like Tarzan on a vine and came swinging between the both of them, her other whip trailing ice along the ground before she catapulted herself high up into the air. There was a sound akin to a gunshot going off, a lightning dust bladed sword flying straight up, and then Raven was leaping up after it.

With them in place, Tai moved, backflipping off the wolf’s head so he could nosedive straight for the ground. His fist met icy earth, the noise massive as ground splintered in all directions and erupted in big slabs around him. (The girls had told him once before that, from above, the cuts of earth often broke into a star formation.) A crackling roar followed next as a tunnel of wind and lightning rained down from above, bouncing off the juts of frozen land and striking in all directions.

Some Grimm didn’t even get a chance to utter a dying howl before they were being vaporized into nothing.

Tai straightened to his feet, rolling out his shoulders as Raven and Summer landed behind him. “Now what?” He shouted inclining his head to watch Qrow, nothing but a blur as he zipped through trees further ahead, slicing into the thick trunks to further crowd the trail and reroute the stampede away from them.

“Can you two hold out here for a few minutes?” Summer asked.

Bloodlust clacked into place as it was reseated and the dust crystals cycled. “I think we can handle it.”

“Good. Rae, I’ll ring you when we’re in position.” Their leader turned as their fourth teammate landed on the top of one of the earth slabs. “Qrow? You’re with me.”

“Right. What’s the plan?”

Her voice radiated with absolute glee. “We’re going to catch a lift!”

“We’re going to _what?!_ ”

“Come on!” Summer hopped past him and towards the sky, Qrow’s intelligible grumbles following her. She combined Starlit Briar together, using the notch at the end of one handle to lock the end of the other into it. With the length now doubled, she was easily able to lasso the weapon around the neck of a passing Griffon.

Qrow caught up to her, his arm coming around her waist, using the shotgun recoil on Harbinger to give them an extra kick and the two were soon arching through air, twisting around to land onto the winged horse’s back. A little maneuvering was all it took to reign it, Summer jockeying the beast like a pro as she directed it back the way it had come.

The pounding of heavy feet of another oncoming Nashorn had Tai directing his attention back in front of him, shifting stance as he prepared for the creature to bash right through their double barrier of wood and earth. Beside him, even as her hand curled around her sword, Raven still found it in her to quip, “So. Can you really last a few minutes or am I going to be disappointed?”

The comment caught him by surprise and, before he could second guess himself, Tai looked to her and winked. “You’ll find out, if you come to the dance with me.”

He knew he would never forget how beautiful she looked when, for just an instant, her features eased into a contained yet pleased smile.

“Deal.” She affirmed.

The earth exploded around them.

As one, they faced their foe and struck forward.

* * *

As the door swung shut behind them, Taiyang breathed in the crisp air sweetened by the few fruits trees that stood in Beacon’s hidden garden at the back of the school. There were pathways of stone that branched in four directions, leading into sections of flora meant to replicate those found in the three neighboring kingdoms of Anima, Atlas and Vacuo along with the island of Menagerie. Most plants were hybrids of their originals, few imported ones actually able to survive outside of their normal conditions. Tai had always found the place a bit nostalgic; although, he guessed that was probably the point.

Unsurprisingly, if they were ever looking for Summer, this was always the first place to check.

Tonight, however, the garden was completely empty. Students were either still in the ballroom enjoying the dance or, like their other two teammates, enjoying their single solidarity by taking shots against losses as they played competitive video games in their dorm room. That left the silence to be filled only by the chirps of insects, the calm rush of an artificial steam and his and Raven’s footfalls as they headed down their homeland’s trail. Though stunning this time of year with its various deciduous trees in multiple, brilliant hues, Tai felt himself drawn more to the sight of the woman astride him, finding her the most gorgeous adornment of all.

Truth be told, he never expected Raven to go to much trouble, if any, for the event. She’d often expressed how pointless she thought the efforts other girls went through simply to maintain appearances were when they were training to be huntresses; a job field certainly unkind to flashy make-up and cute hairstyles, not to mention impractical. In fact, he still teased the headstrong woman about the time, during a co-op recon mission with team CORL, when she picked up a glob of mud and threw it right in Lilia’s face, explaining that her face paint was ‘drawing too much attention’.

Then again, if it was his attention Raven was trying to win, she’d certainly achieved it.

She wore a shoulder-less, knee-length gown that was a deep, wine red and embellished with gold-trimmed lace decorating the collar and short sleeves. The bodice was tight-fitted down to the waist, a strip of additional cloth tied into a bow against her left hip where her sword normally rested. The rest of the dress flared outwards, a few more sections of lace sewn into the folds. Her heels, a shimmery gold to match, hung from her fingertips by their ankle straps, leaving her legs and feet bare; despite that, she seemed not to notice the roughness of the ground. Most impressive was her hair though. He’d always likened the wild style as a physical embodiment of who Raven was at her core: untamable. So, to see some of the dense locks tied into two simple braids that acted like a crown around her head, while the rest of her hair cascaded down along her back like a waterfall, made him reconsider that she was perhaps tamable after all – but only by herself.

“You’re staring.” Raven side-eyed him.

“I know. But why would I ever want to look away?” Tai quipped back.

She tried to appear exasperated, but her smile gave her away. “Is this how you charm all your dates?”

“No.” He wound his arm over her waist. “Just the pretty ones.”

He probably deserved it when her heels knocked against the side of his head. In retaliation, he hooked his other arm under her legs, hefting her up into his arms. He found it much easier to do when she wasn’t weighted down by her armor and weaponry.

Raven took it in stride as she casually crossed her ankles and peered up at him. “What are you doing?”

“Well, if I can’t impress you with words, I guess feats of strength will have to do.” He winked. “I hear that’s what tribe girls like.”

Her chuckles were a personal victory. “Go on then.”

So, he did, walking her underneath the multitude of plum blossoms and star-leafed maples, then across the bridge where the stream cut through their side of the orchard, the dark waters reflecting the moonlight above. As he weaved his way further through the garden, he felt Raven lay her head against his chest. A quick glance told him her eyes had fallen shut. Her features were eased in content that used to be so rare to see, but had become more common as the years had passed. The notion of how lovely it made her appear hit him and he hoped the way his heart suddenly sped up didn’t disturb her.

Tai would have been all too happy to continue the night like that, but as he walked by a patch of familiar red flowers, he paused.

“Hey,” He whispered. “Let’s stop here for a bit.”

“Tired already?” She peeked up at him.

Instead of answering, he stepped off the trail, setting her among the chrysanthemum patch. As she looked around curiously, Tai placed a thumb under his chin and nodded decidedly. “Yep. They suit you.”

“Don’t tell me your culture is all about flowers too.”

“No. Well, maybe. I don’t really remember.” He said as he sat down across from her, fingering the stem of one of the blossoms. “But there was this park I, uh, used to live in that had these stone slabs set up everywhere. Each one had words carved into them; I think they were supposed to be words of wisdom but, I um, couldn’t read most of them.” He coughed down his embarrassment. “A-Anyways! The one I _could_ read was in front of the chrysanthemums. It said: In hardship, shed your orchid coat and don the strength of the chrysanthemum.”

The stem snapped as he plucked the flower free, turning it in his hand. “I didn’t really get it at the time, until winter hit. The orchids all died, but even buried under snow, the chrysanthemums lived on. I felt like it was a sign telling me to persevere.” He reached out, tucking the stem behind one of Raven’s braids. “Now looking at them, I think they match you even more. Especially since they’re red. Back home, ours were yellow and white. But red-”

“Is the color of good fortune.” She finished, her hand brushing along the soft petals.

“Yeah.” He smiled. “It sure is.”

Raven snorted as she leant back on the heels of her hands. “I didn’t take you for the poetic type.” Her gaze drifted, seemed to be contemplating something. When she spoke up again, her voice was laden with something he couldn’t quite place, “My name is meant to mean the same thing.”

“But don’t most people consider ravens bad luck, too?”

“Ill omen. It’s not quite the same.” She corrected. “The superstition goes that if a raven stays nearby, it’s waiting for a meal, meaning the death of an enemy will happen soon. But if it flies away for safety, it’s a sign of your own death.”

Tai wasn’t sure if it was the words or the way she gripped fistfuls of grass that tipped him off, but he finally recognized the confliction in her tone. For her brother, adapting from the old life into the new was something Qrow embraced with ardent eagerness. For Raven, it seemed the journey hadn’t been nearly as easy. With graduation just two semesters away, he could imagine the internal battle she was having, because he’d already had to confront those same questions. And while he couldn’t answer them for her, he could at least encourage her in the right direction.

“If you ask me, superstitions sound a lot likes rules.” He placed a hand along her knee, meeting her intense gaze with a grin. “And I _know_ you’re good at breaking those.”

It was slow at first, but the rigidity in her posture eventually melted, her smirk returning. “Is that what drew you to me? The bad girl allure?”

“Actually,” His voice almost caught when he felt her hand covering his. He swallowed his nerves, leaning forward as he continued, “I think it was your smile.”

She leant towards him as well, hand slipping up his arm, her touch leaving sparks of warmth behind ever through the suit jacket. “That’s exceedingly simple.”

“Can’t it be?” He whispered huskily, their proximity making him dizzy. “Not everything has to be difficult.”

“Guess not.” Her eyes slipped closed, head tilting to meet him.

And then the sprinklers turned on.

With simultaneous yells, they scrambled away from the bursts of frigid water and back onto the pathway. He turned to Raven, both of them dripping and shaking, and when she turned back at him, her little chrysanthemum dropped from her hair and fell with a tiny splat onto the concrete. They both looked down at it, then to each other, before peals of laughter fell from their lips at the inanity of the situation.

“Come on,” Tai said once he’d caught his breath, brushing back his now wet bangs. “We should- whoa!”

The hands on his collar yanked him even closer, Raven’s body brushing against his own as she murmured, “Don’t even think that little setback is getting you out of this.”

“Who said I wanted to get out of anything?” He challenged right back, boldly wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Good.” Her fingers tangled into his hair as she pulled him in, their lips clashing with heat and intensity.

Later, much later, he’d look back on that moment and wonder if he should have noticed that their first kiss was exactly like a battle.

* * *

The hum of the elevator drilled into his ears as he stood beside his teammates, a sense of foreboding weighing on them all. They had been called into the headmaster’s office many times before, but all the times before they at least knew what they had done to deserve the slap on the wrist. This time it had been preceded by nothing, but the tone in Ozpin’s voice had sounded foreboding.

To his right, Qrow bent forward, mumbling over Summer’s shoulder, “What d’ya think we did?”

“Well,” She replied, elongating the word which automatically implied guilt. “You remember when I made those spiced rum cookies last week for your and Raven’s birthday?” She tapped her index fingers together, “I may have… pilfered the rum from the kitchen.”

Raven snorted softly. She was leaning back against the wall, looking almost bored. “I doubt that’s it. I taught you too well to get caught when stealing.”

Tai jerked around to face his girlfriend. “You _what?_ ”

“As if you haven’t done the same.”

“Welcome to the fold, flowerbud.” The other twin pat her on the back.

“Don’t encourage her!” He pointed from one to the other. “And that is not the point!”

“Hey!” Summer said, whirling on him. As she did, the elevator came to a stop, doors opening behind her. “If I want to steal, then that’s my choice!”

“Eh-hem.”

They all froze at the sound of that voice, before Summer whirled around, plastering on a big smile as she said musically, “Hel~lo!”

“Thank you all for coming. Come on in.” Ozpin invited from where he sat behind his desk, his smile amused.

They piled into the rotund room, all of them stopping in the middle, where the shadows from the gears moving above them drifted across their features. Tai’s eyes scoured the room’s other two occupants. Glynda, who stood a few feet away from the headmaster, arms crossed as she regarded them as she did everyone – with quiet disdain – wasn’t a surprise. After graduation last year, she had stayed at Beacon, becoming a professor herself as well as Ozpin’s assistant. The third, perched on the far left of the desk, he was unfamiliar with.

She seemed to be around their age, if not younger. From her clothes, a white militia style uniform with a silver revolver adorned on either hip, he quickly guessed she was from Atlas. Her hair was a pale, straw-like yellow, held back in a ponytail by a red ribbon. She was staring at them openly and, for a moment, they caught eyes. He only had a second to process what a deep green they were before she was looking away, seemingly a little embarrassed by being caught.

“Um, so!” Summer’s voice drew his attention. “Are we in trouble? …Again?”

“No, no.” He chuckled, getting to his feet. “I merely wished to chat with you all. Though, perhaps I should be worried if you’re asking.” As he started to round the desk, Glynda’s hand shot up, her riding crop level with his chest.

“Are you sure about this?” She asked. The look the two shared seemed to speak silent paragraphs, and Tai watched on in confusion that he could tell was shared by the rest of his team.

“I suppose we’ll find out.” Was Ozpin’s equally unenlightening response. She seemed to frown, but lowered her weapon with a sigh. He walked forward to stand before them, resting his cane in front of him as he eyed each of them in turn. “There’s less than two weeks before graduation. Have you all thought of where you will go from here?”

Tai’s eyes darted to the left. Raven stood beside him, her wrist resting in a relaxed position over the handle of her sword, though her expression seemed a tinge more annoyed then before. He supposed she hadn’t been expecting a counseling session to be what they were in for. Qrow was somewhat behind her, rocking a bit on his heels and looking equally impatient. A few paces in front of them all was Summer but unlike the twins, her face held a sort of sharp attentiveness she usually only wore in battle. If she wore it here, it meant she thought there was a reason to be on guard, though from what exactly, he wasn’t sure.

“We were going to head to Patch.” Tai finally spoke up when no one else did, though it felt redundant to say. “Find a place to settle at and then put ourselves in the summons system.”

“Interesting.” Ozpin hummed. “You know teams aren’t required to stay together once they part from here, right?”

His girlfriend crossed her arms. Now she was _actually_ annoyed. “What does it matter to you?”

Their leader gave her partner a disapproving frown for her tone, quickly clarifying, “It might not be traditional, but for us, it just makes sense. We’re at our best when we’re together, so why split up?”

“You are not just at your best.” He refuted, sweeping his cane to point at them all. “The four of you have become a team with some of the greatest potential I have ever seen. That is why I would hate to see it go to waste on mere Grimm raiding missions.” He placed his weapon back down, leaning forward on it. “I have a proposition for you all.”

After sharing looks with each of them it was Qrow who placed a hand on his hip, saying, “We’re listening.”

The headmaster smiled. “What’s your favorite fairytale?”

* * *

Tai was leaning against the wall-length window in Ozpin’s office, staring out at the foggy mist that had surrounded Beacon Academy. A few feet from him, facing him, Raven mirrored his pose. They were both watching the way the flakes drifted from the sky as it snowed.

In **_May_**.

He swallowed the lump that kept forming in his throat every few minutes, eyes darting again to the once mysterious Atlas girl – Lucia Moroz, that’s how she introduced herself – who was now sitting in Ozpin’s seat, quietly browsing through her scroll. Staring at her now, she still looked just like a normal girl, unobtrusive and easily lost in a crowd. Yet, as his gaze turned back outside and realized the world was still acting like it wasn’t on the cusp of the brilliant heatwave of summer, he had to face the reality that was staring him in the face.

She was a _maiden_. The winter maiden.

“I can make it stop if it’s bothering you so much.” The request made him turn back to her. She was looking at him now, and even though it’d been hours now, he could still remember the way the light blue glow had shimmered around her eyes, almost like elliptic wings.

“It’s not that.” He lied, because how could this _not_ bother someone? “This is just… a lot, okay?”

She arched an eyebrow, clearly skeptical, before going back to her phone. “Sure.”

He looked past her. There was now only six of them in the room, Glynda having left long ago once the snow began, a fake story on her tongue about an unexpected cold front having caused the phenomenon. One he wished he could believe like everyone else would.

Ozpin was standing in front of his desk, both of his hands resting behind him, his cane hooked on the edge beside him. Ozpin, who for the past three hours, had told them story after incredible story about gifts from the gods, about the power of the maidens, about a harbinger of all evil. Growing up, he’d heard them all before, but until today he’d never been told any of them were true.

Oh yeah, and their headmaster could apparently reincarnate. That was… a thing.

Beyond Oz, on the floor, Summer sat cross-legged. Her hands were crossed in her lap and she was staring down at them, lost in her own thoughts. Though she appeared a tad troubled, it was nothing compared to the meltdown Tai himself felt on the verge of. How she could manage to stay so composed was utterly beyond him.

Close to her, Qrow was sitting as well, rubbing a hand over his temples as if trying to ward back a headache and he seemed, if possible, more pale than usual. He sighed loudly at whatever he was thinking before checking the little flask they had all chipped in to buy him for his birthday, as if hoping it had magically refilled.

Maybe he could ask Lucia to fill it, what with her crazy magic powers and all, Tai thought hysterically. He let his head thump heavily back against the glass, shutting his eyes tightly. The slight ache it brought only seemed to taunt him with the fact that this was no dream either. This was, without doubt, actually happening.

It was warm, familiar fingers trailing down along his face that pulled him out of his inner turmoil. He looked left, pressing into the touch. Raven had come closer, her own eyes dark and deep with thoughts he couldn’t even begin to guess at. Peeking underneath it all, he could see her concern.

That, beyond everything else, seemed to ground him when nothing else would. He reached up, covering his hand with hers and offered her a smile.

The moment was broken when Qrow spoke up, “Something’s not adding up here. If the world’s in so much danger, then why don’t more people know? Why doesn’t everyone know? Shouldn’t we all be protecting these relics?”

“While it is true knowledge can bring much power, it can also lead to devastation. It is why the relic that reflects this concept is an especially delicate one.” Ozpin replied, almost bitterly. “If humanity can fight over something as minor as whether the person next to you has rabbit ears or not, imagine the things those with an agenda might attempt with the very powers of divinity. I have seen every bloody and angry war people have waged and it is not a state I wish to see the world in again. And especially not one caused by my own doing.”

“But you’re the magic man here.”

“But I am no God. Nor do I wish to play it.” He pushed off from the desk, taking a few steps forward. “I only wish to preserve the very existence in which we all reside. An existence that Salem is constantly threatening to annihilate. If, in my journey, I come across those with a like-minded approach, then I ask them to stand beside me.”

The warmth beside Tai left quite suddenly as Raven pulled away, crossing the room and coming to stand beside where Summer sat. She placed a hand along her hip as she stared down the professor. “Whose to say we are? What if you’re making a mistake?”

“It would certainly not be the first time I have done so. However,” He looked from her, to her brother. “I do also pay very close attention. Four years ago, I saw a brother and sister who held vengeful ideas for the world walk into my school, now are ready to walk out of it only intending to protect it.” He tilted his head slightly. “A leader who went from meek and silent to inspiring and bold.” He looked over his shoulder, pinning Tai with his gaze. “A young man whose will to find his way turned into the will to help everyone.”

Ozpin looked upwards, staring at the gears rotating endlessly above them. “Time has this fascinating way of changing people. With every turn of its hands, an event can take place that can alter one’s entire worldview. Their aspirations. Their dreams. So, you could say I have learned to strike when the time is right.” As he spoke, Tai was able to rediscover the strength of his legs, walking over to join his team.

“Here you all stand now and even after all I have told you, not one of you has left.” The headmaster gave them all a grin. “That’s usually a positive sign.”

“Eh, I’m just too lazy to get up. If I wasn’t, I’d be flying out the window by now.” Qrow responded, nudging the shoulder next to him, “Right Summer?” When she didn’t respond as normal, he looked over at her. “You okay?”

Summer had doubled over some, the hands she had clasped together pressed against her forehead. When she spoke, it was with a deep heaviness. “Professor, didn’t you miss a story?”

Ozpin regarded her silently for several moments. “Is that truly one you wish me to tell rather than yourself?”

Summer, after thinking it over, shook her head quietly. Then with a weighted sigh, she stood, walking a few paces before pivoting to look at them all. She seemed nervous and withdrawn, in a way they hadn’t seen her in a long, long time.

By the Gods, what else was there?

“There’s,” She started hesitantly. “Something I’ve been keeping from you all.” That had even Qrow alert, the man quickly getting to his feet. The movement made her flinch, but she carried on. “What I have to tell you all will probably change the way you guys look at me. Probably a lot, actually.” Her gaze fell away and she laughed; it was a nerve-wracked sort of sound.

“Summer?” Tai took a step forward, but she only took one back, shaking her head in denial. He frowned, but didn’t advance further.

Taking a moment to collect herself, she rose her head again. “The story Ozpin told about the Brothers, there’s a bit more too it then that. When they created humanity, there were differences they made. The Faunus, of course, are the most obvious of those choices. However, the God of Light created a smaller, less noticeable kind. He still had to counteract the last thing his brother had done, after all.” She clasped her hands before her. “So he bestowed a small faction of humanity, warriors he designed to face the Grimm, with a rare trait. Silver eyes, that were said to see light even in the deepest darkness and could kill Grimm with a single look.”

Tai was staring through her, the events of a long ago mission coming back in a rush. They had all seen the light and the way the Grimm had faded without reason. Her evasive answers when he questioned her, Ozpin’s knowing smile as he joked. He never had imagined… “So that Night Echo, back in Atlas?”

“Yeah. And on other missions, too. Back home, it was something I was trained to control and use if I really needed it. It provides me with a great power boost too, but it takes a lot of aura. That’s the main reason my people had such high expectations of me. And all this,” She waved behind her, “while I can’t say I knew any of it, it also doesn’t surprise me quite like it does for you guys. Because I’ve _always_ had magic.”

There was a pause, all of them slowly adjusting to this new truth. And maybe she saw something upsetting on one of their faces, maybe she just imagined she did, but Summer suddenly looked away, rubbing her arm as she started to ramble, “And I know it was a big secret to keep. I wanted to tell you all, really I did, but I couldn’t. Because I… I just couldn’t.” Whether she meant because it had to be kept secret or because she had been scared, went unanswered, but it didn’t really matter. To any of them. She was biting her lip now, her eyes blinking rapidly. “I-I…”

It was Raven who finally said it for all of them: “That’s it?”

She jerked around, eyes wide, “Huh?!”

“You think that’s a big deal to us? Personally, I’m insulted.”

“But, but!” She shook her head, as if after all the things they had heard today, _this_ was the thing she couldn’t believe. “You guys were freaking out about everything else!”

“Yeah well…” The other woman started, faltering when she couldn’t find the right words. “It just doesn’t matter, okay?”

With a soft chuckle, Tai placed a hand on her shoulder, then smiled towards the shorter woman. “Because you’re family, Summer, and that’s more important than anything. Something small like this isn’t gonna change the way we care about you.” Her eyes were glimmering, and it pained him to think about how long she had let this agonize her.

“Yeah, you think we’re all just going run for the hills just ‘cause you’re a little special?”  Qrow winked at her. “You wish you could get rid of me so easily.”

That got her to laugh, tears escaping down her cheeks.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but,” With a roll of her eyes, Raven spread out her arms, “Get over here.”

And she did, running over to them as the three encased her in a tight hug. Qrow ruffled her hair some. “Come on flowerbud, you know we hate it when you cry.”

Her chuckles were a bit choked up and she sniffled from the crook of Raven’s shoulder, “I love you guys.”

“Yeah,” Tai responded, holding her a bit tighter. “Us too.”

When they finally pulled away, Qrow kept a hand on Summer’s shoulder, saying, “So leader, what now? You think we’re up for all this insanity?”

She wiped her eyes, before looking at them each in turn and giving a nod. “I know we are.”

“Alright then.” Tai held up a fist. “Let’s do it.”

And as one, they turned to Oz.

* * *

Tai sat on the log seat in their old training grounds, watching two black birds struggling to fly onto the first branch of the nearest tree. They’d been at it for an hour now and neither had yet been able to accomplish it. Apparently being granted magic didn’t automatically make you good at things. He hid a snort behind his hand as the raven tried to vault from one of the oak’s jutting roots, only to go belly up and land on her back. The crow was not quite as subtle, cawing loudly with his laughter. Infuriated, the larger bird fluttered to her feet, shaking out her ruffled feathers before whirling and chasing the other down with loud squawks.

He never thought he’d see the day Raven Branwen would be anything but utmost dignity. Though, it certainly wasn’t the most impossible thing that had happened that day.

A crumpling drew his attention and he took a handful of the crackers being offered to him, popping one in his mouth. It only seemed to remind him that he had skipped both breakfast and lunch today.

Summer settled beside him, giggling when the raven hopped onto the back of the crow, pinning him down. They were making quite a commotion. “Come on you two, be serious! I’ll give you one of these if you do!” She wiggled the package around, laughing more when it only seemed to invite the red-eyed glares of both the birds. Once they were back on track, she said, “I assumed he asked you too. Didn’t want to join them?”

“Nah, not interested.”

“Didn’t want to be a bird, huh?”

“Pff,” Crumbs sprayed as he spoke around a mouthful. “If it’s not at least a phoenix, then no deal.” She laughed again, nudging him playfully; he was happy to see her back in her normal spirits. “What about you?”

“Can’t be given magic when you already are.” She explained.

“Oh. That makes sense. Somehow.” He turned one of the crackers between his index and thumb, the turning circle reminding him of the gears back in Ozpin’s office. Each of them had been sent away and called back individually to be given their tasks; a failsafe, the professor had explained. The less knowledge they had of each other’s appointed maidens and relics, the less likely anything could get compromised.

He knew Summer, in a twist of irony he was pretty sure Ozpin chose on purpose, was given charge of Lucia and the winter relic. He wasn’t sure which of the twins had the other two, but he knew it couldn’t be the Relic of Choice with its overly complicated hiding spot, or the fall maiden. In a few weeks, he’d be heading out to meet her – Olivia Rosser. He didn’t know too much about her yet, beside the fact she had just had a little girl by the name of Amber and that it would be up to him to look after them both.

After telling him that, Ozpin had chuckled and said, “Think of it like practice for the future.”

The meaning of what he was implying didn’t exactly escape him and the idea of him and Raven… and a…a…

“You alright?”

Tai jumped, accidentally crushing the cracker. He shook off the crumbs and dust avoiding Summer’s confused gaze, “Sorry, guess I was spacing out.”

“Thinking about what Ozpin said?”

“You… could say that.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, leaning forward, and he braced himself for the interrogation he knew was coming – when two cries from the birds drew their attention across the field. And up. “Oh! They did it!” They both stood, crossing over. “Good job you two!”

The two of them seemed to preen with pride, which was utterly odd and adorable at the same time, though he could never tell them that or risk losing an eye. “So,” He called, “Want to try flying down?”

Qrow was the first to look down, before rapidly shaking his tiny head. Beside him, Raven hopped closer to her brother, also acting as if she was scoping out the vantage point. However, her true intention became quickly clear when she spread one wing and with a hard flap, pushed her brother right out of the tree.

It was weird to hear his panicked squawks turn into a yell when he transformed back partway down, landing on his ass. He grumbled some, rubbing his lower back while they all laughed at him. When he got to his feet, he shot a partially disgruntled look upward. His sister only had a satisfied grin as a rebuff, leaning back against the trunk as if she had just claimed a throne.

Once the laughter had subsided, the entirety of the day seemed to swallow them up again, shading their mood. Tai ran a hand through his hair, saying, “This isn’t going to be easy.”

“No,” Raven said, jumping down from the branch, coming to stand beside him. “But we didn’t sign up for easy.”

Summer glanced at her, before nodding to them all. “We’ve been given a chance to really protect humanity and I know if we stick together, we’ll be able to make a huge difference, because that’s just what we do.” She grinned. “I wouldn’t want to face this crazy mess with anyone else but you guys.”

“Ah flowerbud!” Qrow reached out, ruffling her hair roughly. “You really do love us!”

“Ugh! Don’t ruin the moment!” She punched him in the ribs.

Tai watched them continue to bicker, his chuckles falling away when he felt fingers slip into his own. He glanced down at the hand intertwined with his own, before slowly looking up at Raven. The uncertainty he had seen before was gone, replaced by the stubborn conviction he’d always admired in her.

He reached out, brushing back some of the wild hair that framed her face before cupping her chin as he lent forward, touching his lips to hers. It wasn’t long before her felt her hand threading through his hair, bringing him closer. The electric fire that had once been in their kisses had been replaced by something better; a glowing and gentle warmth, like the solidity of a fireplace, always there and burning when needed.

And in that moment, he really felt like they could face the world together.

“You guys know we’re right here, right?” The moment was ruined by Qrow, as usual.

He smiled against Raven’s lips when she didn’t even move, and a quick peek told him she was aiming a rather rude gesture with her hand her brother’s way.

_Yeah,_ he thought as he shut his eyes, wrapping his arms around her waist. _We’re going to be fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is curious what the scene was that I eventually erased, it was the fight with the Hellhound Grimm. While I had the entire thing mapped out in my head, executing it in words was a challenge and overall, I didn't feel it added much to the plot anymore since I had Tai ask Raven to the dance much sooner than originally planned.
> 
> Nashorn is German for 'Rhino'. It's also the name of a tank used in WW2.
> 
> In true RWBY fashion, the team attack Star(STR)-crossed is also the pairing name for Raven/Tai/Summer. I also had plans for a Hummingbird attack but that was scratched with the scene.
> 
> The explanation Raven gives about her name is in fact loosely based off Welsh Folklore about Bran the Blessed, a guardian of Britain and deity that could speak words of prophecy, who had his head cut off and buried under Tower Hill where the Tower of London is. As both his totem is and name means 'raven', people believe that the actual ravens that occupy the tower are a sign of this legend - and believe if they fly away, it will be the end of Britain. Out of superstition, people clip their wings to make sure they can't fly away.
> 
> Lucia Moroz means 'Light Frost'. Get it? Cause she makes it snow?
> 
> And with this chapter, we've now officially ended Tai's POV. Next chapter is our interlude!


End file.
